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On Thurs 21 October 2010 at the Dube Tribal Authority premises in Dube Village, representatives from Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) handed over a cheque to the Wildlands Conservation Trust for another year of sponsorship to the Indigenous Trees for Life Project that is taking place in the Dube and eSikhawini communities near Richards Bay.
The 2010/2011 donation of R265,000 is just over R100,000 more than last year’s donation, reflecting RBCT’s generous response to the huge growth of this successful livelihoods programme. Since 2005 when the project started in Dube and eSikhawini, RBCT have partnered with Wildlands to ensure its growth and success.
Judith Nzimande, General Manager of Human Resources for RBCT, said: “To date RBCT have sponsored the ITFL project to a value of R812,000. This marks our ongoing commitment to community development. We are proud to say that we are making a difference through this project.”
The Indigenous Trees for Life Project sees facilitators from the community identifying needy individuals and teaching them to grow indigenous trees from seed until they grow to a height big enough to trade for credit. These people are known as ‘tree-preneurs’ and can then trade the credit for goods such as food, bicycles, school uniforms, clothing, and also Jojo Tanks, or pay their school fees.
With unemployment very high in these two communities, people have been enthusiastic for the opportunities the project offers. Charles Chili, the Dube Tribal Authority Chairperson and his committee were in attendance at the cheque handover event. Muntukayise Mthiyane, Ward Councillor for Dube as well as community members and project facilitators were also present to celebrate the development of their communities.
Charmaine Veldman, Programme Manager for the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Sustainable Communities Programme, which includes Indigenous Trees for Life, expressed gratitude to RBCT and the community: “Thank you for believing in us and making this journey with us. Wildlands’ dream for the communities of Dube and eSikhawini is to see tree-preneurs well fed, well clothed, riding bicycles, having JoJo tanks to harvest rainwater and solar water heaters at their homes – and all these earned with the trees they have grown. People might then ask, what has happened in this community? And the answer – RBCT and Wildlands were here!”
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