The spirit of the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament is still flourishing in the communities of KwaMbonambi and Sokhulu where “tree-preneurs” were able to purchase soccer balls recently.
These tree-preneurs are children involved in the Indigenous Trees for Life Project run by the NGO the Wildlands Conservation Trust. They have learnt to grow indigenous trees from seed, and to nurture them to a certain height, at which point they trade them back to Wildlands in exchange for goods such as groceries, school fees and uniforms, bicycles and other items such as wheelbarrows.
Zakhele Ngcobo, Indigenous Trees for Life Project Manager for the Mbonambi and Sokhulu projects, observed the young people being gripped by World Cup fever: “They are still practising the styles that were done by the stars of the different teams, and in Mbonambi a group of the tree-preneurs have a team called Arsenal Nhlabane Football Club. The team has children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old,” he said.
Mzwandile Mthiyane, aged 13, is in grade six at Emankwathini Primary School in Richards Bay and he started growing trees in September 2005. He currently has 3600 trees growing at home and 1000 of those are ready to be collected and traded as they have now grown to the required height for trading.
With the average tree trading for R 5, some of these tree-preneurs have been able to provide for their families and purchase many items at the tree stores, which are the events held in the community where items are made available for trade. Seven trees were needed in order for the young people to purchase a soccer ball.
Mzwandile said: “I have bought a lot of food, a bicycle and my school fees have been paid with trees, I feel very happy about the project especially as we are getting things that we can play with as kids. Now with my soccer balls, I bought three, and I gave the team one so that they will play together.”
Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) have since 2005 been a committed supporter of the KwaMbonambi and Sokhulu Indigenous Trees for Life projects. More than 150 families benefit from the programme. Since July 2009, the Wildlands Conservation Trust have held eleven tree stores and 212 tree-preneurs traded in 69 491 trees. Just over R 410 000 worth of goods was distributed in exchange for these trees.
Mrs Buyisiwe Nxumalo is a facilitator here in Mbonambi and Sokhulu and helps the children learn how to grow and nurture the trees in order to trade them for goods. She said “I feel very happy with what the project has done for the kids, and they are enthusiastic for nature now.”
Picture credit: Zakhele Ngcobo/ Wildlands Conservation Trust
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)