NGO of the day: Ecolink
By Megan Anderson
Give me back the love of the land, said Theresa Mpofu to retired vet Sue
Hart.
In response to those words spoken 17 years ago, Hart established the EcoLink
centre which has become a veteran non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Working in the KaNyamazane area of Nelspruit, capital of Mpumalanga province,
EcoLink’s first project was aimed to develop small-scale farming, especially
for women. The programme tries to combine sustainable, environmentally friendly
techniques with practical skills for the benefit of the community.
"The idea was to empower the rural women so that they could feed their
families and feel proud in doing so," says Daniel Madidimalo, a trainer and
educator at EcoLink.
It is also important that people value and respect the land in which they
work. "Hart wanted the people to understand that when you talk about the
environment, you talk about the interdependence of all things: animals, plants
and humans," says Madidimalo. "If you ignore one aspect, then you lose
everything."
He explains that if you don't teach people how important nature is to their
survival, they will misuse and destroy it.
When the small-scale farming project became successful, the next step was to
sell the produce. "The idea was for them to move from subsistence farming
to actually farming for an income," says Madidimalo.
Since its inception in 1985, EcoLink has established various other projects
aimed at other sectors of the rural communities. "We’ve extended the
programmes now to include black male farmers, in order for them to have the
opportunity to compete with other farmers in the area. Chicken farming is
another project which we've added to our programme," says Madidimalo.
EcoLink now also trains young rural entrepreneurs in skills such as
carpentry, welding, mechanical and electrical engineering. "The programme
is trying to empower the lost generation – those who don't have access to
university or colleges and therefore cannot find jobs because they have no
skills," says Madidimalo.
"They usually stay for about three months and then we hold a graduation
ceremony, where those who have participated in the programme get a chance to say
what it has meant to them," says volunteer Fylippa Mayor.
These young people are also given guidelines on how save money, turning their
talents into a business. "We teach them bookkeeping skills and basic
accounting so that they learn to save money," says Mayor.
EcoLink has evolved and adapted to suit the changing political and social
climate of South Africa. In the bad days of apartheid, EcoLink’s priority was
to provide rural people with survival skills. As HIV/Aids becomes the next
threat to their lives, EcoLink has changed its focus and has implemented action
campaigns to fight the disease.
Their Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Youth Programme (ASRH) helps to
create awareness among the youth in the rural areas. "We try to educate
people through drama, poetry, role-playing and crafts," says Mayor. EcoLink
also works closely with teachers at various schools, creating youth clubs that
encourage and promote safe sex awareness, teaching them responsibility for
themselves.
"The idea is for the youth to go out and to teach others in their
communities," says Madidimalo.
EcoLink has managed to stay afloat all these years due to generous
sponsorship from individuals and corporations.
This NGO’s next endeavour is to try to further extend its programmes,
encouraging the creation of sustainable communities throughout Mpumalanga. –
Witsnews
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