Tine Fisker-Henriksen, the Innovative Finance Lead for Bertha Centre for Social Innovation, Graduate School of Business, and a member of the Green Outcomes Fund Advisory Committee, shares details of the Green Outcomes Fund, what it means to be a green business and how green SMMEs can apply for funding.
Babies grow rapidly. In fact, they outgrow up to seven sizes within the first two years of their lives – contributing to a mammoth amount of clothing waste. In the United Kingdom, one-third of parents throw out their baby’s clothes, which often end up in landfills. “It’s the ultimate fast fashion that no one is talking about,” entrepreneur Eve Kekeh says. A fervent advocate for the environment, she’s now created a way for people to clothe their kids while protecting the planet.
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Grabbing a vertical pole with hands stretched wide, Johannes ‘Timo’ Gunther braces himself and lifts his body parallel to the ground, forming a perfect human flag. Somewhere above him, Phelelani Ndrakrokra is suspended upside down, loving life.
Both high-flying performers know what it means to fall. Gunther, a pole acrobat, ran away from his Namibian home seeking a fresh start in Cape Town. Ndrakrokra, a wheel artist, was born to a single mother living on the streets. They both have found a home at Zip Zap Circus through its Dare to Dream project. The programme looks to help people from all walks of life realise their dreams through circus art.
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By the age of nine, Fatima Sydow had found her calling in food. It was inevitable. She grew up immersed in the aromatic preparation of large family meals, oscillating between her grandmother’s vegetable garden and her mom’s kitchen. “It was my mother who brought me closer to understanding food as an important part of my identity,” Sydow says. After her mother’s passing, she turned this realisation into action, and then into a legacy.
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Sarah Isaacs stands still and gazes towards her subject. There’s a shy smile and a laugh, as the woman standing nude behind a bouquet of flowers shares this vulnerable moment with the photographer. Isaacs ducks behind her camera. Setting and focusing her frame, she hopes to capture the essence of the moment. Her muse isn’t perfect, but she’s the real thing.
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Growing children need to eat. But as unemployment continues to soar in South Africa, more families are pushed below the breadline and into extreme poverty. The groans of young learners amplify, eating away at their concentration, productivity, and health. Without nourishment, they are starved of a bright future. Coming from a poverty-stricken household, Yasmine Abrahams was far too familiar with this indelible ache. “I know what it's like to be hungry and I don’t want any kid to feel that,” she says.
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Puseletso Mabote bows his head and braces himself. His breath is measured but his determination is at full blast. Competing in the World Para Athletics Junior Championships is a momentous opportunity. Sweat drips from the runner’s forehead. The gun fires and Mabote leaps into action. He bolts down the track, crossing the finishing line ahead of the others. It’s only after the adrenaline subsides that the 14-year-old realises the enormity of what he’s just accomplished.
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Moerieda Joubert’s mother understood the importance of connecting with people. And what better way to do that than by sharing a meal? Even though she had Parkinson’s, she would prepare food for the local old-age home out of her own pocket. After her passing, Joubert has proved the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
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What are you doing for the earth in this time of crisis? Our planet is facing an environmental emergency which authorities are doing little to halt. Many of these disasters, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, are the result of processes generated by major corporations. They’re issues that can be dealt with. Yet the situation gets worse every day. Eleven-year-old Othembele Dyantyi is raising her voice to encourage a union of action against this unprecedented climate injustice.
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Do you remember the search for your first job? Sending off your CV, hoping that your application would stand out, then waiting for days on end for a reply? For Kevin Boshoff, who has Down Syndrome, it was almost impossible to find employment. Being rejected from career opportunities can strip anyone of their dignity, self-esteem, and financial security. But Boshoff never gave up.
After three years of looking for work, he received a job at the Bean Tree Café in Plattekloof. With a smile on his face, Boshoff serves food and coffee and helps however he can. The restaurant has created a discrimination-free space where he can follow his aspirations. “The coffee shop is my life,” Boshoff says. “The coffee shop is my home.”
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Things were looking up for Nelisiwe Zuma. The Durbanite had just been offered a job in California. Unable to contain her excitement, Zuma joined her friends to celebrate her big break. But on her way home, their car flew off the road. Zuma woke up three weeks after the crash in ICU. Her friend who’d been driving didn’t make it. The emotional and physical trauma seemed insurmountable. “I thought I was never going to recover,” Zuma says. “I lost hope.”
In the months that followed, Zuma had to undergo multiple surgeries, including a spinal fusion and a skin graft on her stomach. She was also dependent on a colostomy bag. As her body changed, Zuma became increasingly depressed. “I felt not good enough,” she says. But in the process of recuperating, she began to realise how incredible it was to have survived. Her scars were a symbol of life, a reminder to cherish her body and her second chance....
Glittering sunlight beckons at the end of the cobalt tunnel. Glide across the water’s surface, dance with the sway of the board, and feel the rush of the wave collapsing. Surfing is one of the most thrilling ways to experience the ocean. But it’s expensive. The cost of the sport, from lessons to surfboards and wetsuits, keeps many people onshore. Luckily, nine-year-old Will Ronquest-Ross is helping other kids catch their big break.
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