NO POVERTY
What’s the goal?
To end poverty in all its forms, everywhere, by 2030.
Targets include eradicating extreme poverty by implementing social protection measures and ensuring equal access to economic resources for women and men.
Why?
More than 700 million people (11% of the world’s population) still live in extreme poverty and are struggling to meet their most basic needs.
Our contribution
In 2018 and 2019, investments in skills development and health programmes have seen 16 successful businesses being established. They employ 65 people who were previously unskilled and unemployed.
Our partners include the Witzenberg PALS, Siyabonga Africa and WWWC projects.
Witzenberg PALS has been supported for the third year in a row. This private initiative addresses land reform in South Africa. It was established by commercial farmers in the Witzenberg district, in the Western Cape, in partnership with local communities and government structures at national, provincial and local levels.
The driving objective is to help create an environment that enables innovative land reform and economic empowerment projects/businesses, in line with Chapter 6 of the National Development Plan (NDP). The PALS framework starts as a joint business arrangement between the Black farmer concerned and his or her more experienced commercial counterpart. After a specified period, the emerging farmer has the option to acquire all the shares in the venture. The business plan is underwritten by the commercial farmer who also stands as surety for the new owner’s financial obligations.
This exit strategy, and the rights of first refusal designed to protect ownership of the land by Black farmers, are professionally documented up front.
Access to the best planting materials and the value chain is guaranteed through the involvement of the commercial farmer.
The people who work the land also bene t, through minimum pro t sharing.
The Witzenberg PALS project has grown exponentially and it has caught the attention of farmers and government authorities in other provinces where, it is hoped, the model will be replicated.
Projects already implemented in Witzenberg, and farm sizes:
Eyethu Intaba - 1 063 hectares
Bestwill Farming – 500 hectares
TSR Farming – 295 hectares
La Vouere Stonefruit – 146 hectares
La Vouere Daytona - 32 hectares
Dasberg Boerdery – 4 133 hectares
Thembelithsa Farming - 228 hectares
Leeurivier Boerdery - 34 hectares
Kaya Farming – 63 hectares
Dwarsberg Farming - 77 hectares
Bambisane Farming – 1 009 hectares
VDM Mpho – 274 hectares
Stukkie Wit - 94 hectares
Kliprivier – 56 hectares
Morceaux Sisonke – 93 hectares
In addition, a number of individuals have been supported in setting up related packing, logistics and processing businesses in the area.
BENEFICIARY STORY
Joseph Ndaba was born in the Eastern Cape, where he went to school until he had to drop out in Grade 10 and become his family’s breadwinner after the death of his father. He moved to the Western Cape in search of work and was employed as a general farm worker for seven years. He began enrolling for short courses and empowered himself over time.
Joseph has risen through the ranks and this 47- year old is now a Production Manager at the same farm. He is also a shareholder in the successful Eyethu Intaba, one of the largest Witzenberg PALS projects implemented to date.
Winner - Empowerment of Women in the Community Award.
The Wise Wayz Water Care (WWWC) programme was founded in 2016. One of its primary objectives was to collect waste from streams and water courses in the Folweni and Ezimbokodweni communities in KwaZulu-Natal. Although some waste from these as well as land-based sources was recycled, the communities relied on their local municipality to remove the balance.
Innovative solutions were developed. Today, members of the WWWC’s Success Arts and Craft cooperative use fabric off-cuts to produce home décor products that include mats, puffs and ottomans as well as bags and pet toys. The cooperative thus reduces the volume of textile production waste going to land ll. By adding Ecobricks in the manufacture of some of the products, the team is reducing even further the quantity of domestic waste going to land ll.
The benefits are both environmental and social. The cooperative’s members, who range from 28 to 60 years of age, were previously unemployed. They had no source of income and very few opportunities to change this. Thanks to the training provided and the establishment of Success Arts and Craft, these women are beginning to generate their own income by selling their products. This is a personal as well as a financial gain, with an evident sense of pride and purpose that comes with achievement.
When asked how her life had changed, Bongekile Ngcongo said:
“People look up to me now; they are learning from me. I never thought that I would grow to be a leader, especially at this age and with no Matric.”
“Baking has changed our lives in a remarkable way. All of us had personal experience from baking at home. We never imagined that an opportunity would arise for us to learn how to bake at a commercial level. We are baking for our communities and they get to support familiar faces when they buy our goods. Each day we learn to perfect our newly learnt skills and see our products become better and better. Our lives have changed for the better.”
- Feziwe Gambo