In the Mzimela community near Mtunzini in KwaZulu Natal, and the Luphisi community near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga over 500 participants are earning a ‘green living’, through support from the Old Mutual Foundation.
The Indigenous Trees for Life Programme run by NGO, Wildlands Conservation Trust aims to nurture the development of ‘tree-preneurs’, individuals who grow trees and then barter what they have grown for food, clothes, education support, building material, water tanks, solar water heaters, solar powered lighting and bicycles.
In impoverished communities such as Mzimela and Luphisi where unemployment is high, the opportunity to earn in this way has been embraced. Bicycles are a popular choice for barter as so many learners walk long distances to and from school each day. Philani Madonsela of the Mzimela project said: “We now have bicycles to go to school and to the store. It takes us 30 minutes to be in school where before it was over an hour. With trees we will change our community”.
There are now 230 tree-preneurs in Luphisi. Lerato Nkosi started growing trees when the project started in her area in 2008. She has traded 1150 trees at the ‘Green Futures Stores’ and has 1300 trees in credit she can spend. Lerato has purchased food, a hippo roller for water collection, a wheelbarrow and building materials.
Nomusa Ngema joined the Mzimela project in October 2009, where 276 tree-preneurs participate. Through the project she has purchased food as well as building materials, a wheelbarrow and a Jojo tank for rainwater harvesting. “We have a group of woman in our area, where we go together to harvest the seed in the bush, then we propagate those seeds. We love our trees in a way that, a day is not a day without visiting our garden. I love nature, so that helped me a lot to grow many trees,” she said.
Dr Pandelani Mathoma, Old Mutual’s general manager for corporate affairs says: “Our partnership with Wildlands enables us to make a difference in the day-to-day lives of South Africans – both environmentally and in the form of livelihood support.
At Old Mutual we believe in supporting initiatives that promote environmental conservation and encourage self sufficiency in our communities.”
Photo Credits:
Wildlands Conservation Trust
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)