Celebrating Women in South Africa The Miss Earth South Africa Finalist week hosted in the city of Cape Town, also saw women in the environment, agricultural and tourism sectors celebrated. This is a programme driven by the focus and belief in women and their ability to change their communities. Women are the change and each year participants take part in workshops, and are provided with materials and the opportunity to learn about the environment, climate change and food security. The effects and impacts of Climate Change, which has become a pressing issue as it manifests itself across the globe and our continent. We realise that women will be the hardest and first to feel the consequences of this change. The home maker feels the impact of the structural changes that will follow as a result of Climate Change. The lack of electricity as a resource, the scarcity of water, the status of the water quality, the lack of food and the impact of floods in poor communities, these are issues that will lead to wars within our regions. As women we need to address and understand these challenges and ensure that we are involved and are participating in sustainable projects. Ambassadors visited and interacted with several projects in the Western Cape in early August, highlighting and engaging with projects such as the Abalimi Bezekhaya farming projects. The objective of the Abalimi Food Gardens which was one of the projects has been to create a business value chain, alongside farmer development and has extended to Gugulethu and Nyanga. The farmers are home based gardeners and community gardeners. The majority of which (around 60%) are women, mothers and grandmothers from the Eastern Cape. This register is growing by 1000 members per month. Miss Earth finalists spent a day with Rob Small who took finalists across the Cape to meet dynamic women farmers who have brought back great pride and dignity to the important issues of family farming. The magic of this project allows people who have not had formal education, to cultivate on tiny scraps of marginal land, and to produce healthy vegetables, for which there is a demand. As part of an extensive programme, finalists visited St George’s Home for Girls, a girl’s shelter in Wynberg, where they shared conversation, inspirational messages and gifts; both from their personal lives and as women. Regional partners in the Cape, Reliance Compost facilitated the visit to the home and also hosted a visit to their compost farm by the Western Cape participants earlier this year; they interacted with the staff and learnt the value and importance of soil. Reliance has kept over 5Million cubic metres of green waste out of already overcrowded landfills. Miss Earth South Africa is proudly Carbon Neutral as a result of the partnership with Reliance Compost. They address environmental and agricultural problems, such as soil degradation, carbon dioxide emissions, water usage and the management of increased amounts of waste. Camelot and SWEAT1000, kept the ladies looking glamourous and green, and of course they would not have been in Cape Town if they had not done any sight-seeing. Ambassadors spent an afternoon travelling across the Cape on the most beloved red bus, compliments of City Sightseeing Cape Town; the Miss Earth South Africa team were able to Hop on, Hop off, through Cape Town, to Groot Constantia, and onto Imizamo Yethu walking tours that took us through to Ikhaya Themba home. In the Xhosa language, Imizamo Yethu means The Struggle or People Have Gathered; it is commonly called Mandela Park. This is an informal settlement in the greater Hout Bay Valley area. The 18 hectare settlement, houses approximately 33 600 people with little or no infrastructure for sustainable living. The settlement has dismal water facilities; there are very few toilets and no sewerage system. The Disa River which runs through this settlement has the highest level of e-coli bacteria that has ever been recorded in South Africa. City Sightseeing Cape Town and Miss Earth South Africa used this opportunity to understand the influence of circumstance and an over demand on the resource of the space. In order to create sustainable projects, one needs to communicate and understand the challenges that each community may be faced with. Food Gardens need a good source of water, care and soil that has nutrients. Director of Tourism for City of Cape Town, Mrs Nombulelo Mkefa thanked the Miss Earth South Africa for visiting the community of Imizamo Yethu, she said, “There is no coincidence when we speak of the Mother City, Mother Earth and Miss Earth South Africa in the same breath. There is a natural partnership. We are proud to be host to a week of activities where young women have such a great impact and passion for our environment and the impacts of Climate Change.” There were several participants who had not previously had the opportunity to visit Cape Town; Mango airlines assisted in making it possible for these young women to join the group in the Mother City. An experience and an opportunity for all the ladies to interact with one another, exchange ideas, and share stories of the projects they have implemented and what they have experienced across our beautiful land was the order of the day. Lifetime friendships were forged, a love of community was fostered, and these young women were left impassioned and ready to go out and be the difference. There is a natural partnership that aligns with the objectives of Mango Airlines social responsibility objectives. Mango believes that self-sufficiency will assist in alleviating poverty within communities by helping them to feed their families. As a key theme this year, the organization has emphasised and worked specifically on urban farming and family farming campaigns. Subsistence Farming exists when the majority of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and his family, leaving little surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout the world practiced subsistence farming. However as our urban centres developed, agricultural production became more specialized and commercial farming overtook this space, and produced a sizable surplus of certain crops, which they traded for manufactured goods or sold for cash, and became farming as we know it today. Today there is a return to the idea of subsistence farming as a way forward. The Western Cape Government, shared several projects with the team and the Miss Earth South Africa participants had the opportunity to get their hands greening by working and experiencing these projects. They planted trees, and participated in food gardens that have been implemented. The team planted a food garden in Scottsdene. This was a celebration of these young women and the work that they have done. Honourable Minister of Tourism, the dynamic Mr Derek Hanekom attended the cocktail function on the eve of Women’s Day hosted by Tsogo Sun at the Cape Sun. The Minister toasted their achievements and celebrated Cape Town, as one of our most celebrated tourist destinations; a unique, beautiful city that has searched and realised solutions and has implemented incredible green and sustainable projects across the province. He was pleased that cities across our country are visited and pleased with the presentation and work that is done on an international platform. Minister Hanekom assured the gathering that he will be working toward bringing the international Miss Earth to South Africa in the near future as we celebrate our country and sustainable tourism as an important way moving forward. On Women’s Day, 9th August, 2014, they saluted the city as they embarked on a trip into the heart of Cape Town’s City Bowl, headed off for a morning’s work at Oranjezicht City Farm Organic Market, urban farming at its best. Participants play an active role in creating awareness in the general manner in which the public consume food, by understanding where it comes from, who has grown it, how it has been grown and how it has arrived on our plates. We can be actively involved in the process by growing our own, supporting local farmers, setting up a food buying co-ops, and influencing decisions made locally that will support a better local food system. The week ended off with Mango Airlines ensuring these green ambassadors for the Earth got back to their provinces safely, as they prepare for the final leg of this leadership programme ahead of the announcement at the Tsogo Sun, Palazzo Hotel on the 4th September when our 2014 Ambassadors are selected. For any additional information; kindly contact Georgina Cost; [email protected] or 082 5050 665
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 07:37:36 +0000
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