May 20, 2004
By Lucky Sindane
NDEBELE paintings adorn the walls to the entrance of an enclosed development on the outskirts of the huge northeastern township of Ivory Park, giving the enclave the air of a small village.
Two huts add to the atmosphere, as does the nearby crèche, built in the shape of a half-moon.
This is the Ivory Park Eco-Village - a place that brings unemployed people together to fight poverty and create jobs. The village emerged from an initiative to create a local economy along sustainable development principles, where members of the community create their own jobs by growing organic vegetables, cleaning the environment and managing waste.
The village is run by the Eco-City initiative, a programme started in 1999 to help residents - many unemployed and living below the breadline - establish self-help programmes to uplift their communities. The initiative has so far seen the creation of more than 300 jobs and the changes, five years later, are significant.
Situated amidst the informal houses on the periphery of the township, Eco-Village is home to six local cooperatives, growing and selling organic food, collecting recyclable waste products, repairing bicycles, selling green-energy aids and appliances, building economical homes and running eco-tourism enterprises.
Still operating under the auspices of the Eco-City initiative, the village is also the venue for local workshops on empowerment, creating business strategies and life-skills. Emphasis is placed on empowering women, unemployed people and youngsters.
Eco-City works in tandem with the City of Johannesburg, encouraging the city council to adopt eco-friendly strategies in all its developmental planning. For the past four years the council has supported the programme by providing office space and through financial grants. "We have a concrete public-private partnership between the NGO sector, community and the council," says the managing director of the Midrand Eco-City Trust, Annie Sugrue. "Eco-City has shared its expertise with respect to eco-technologies and environmental best practices."
What Eco-City has been able to demonstrate is that it is possible to create economic benefits while making a contribution to a more sustainable community, adds Sugrue. "The focus is on poverty alleviation through respect for environmental principles."
The initiative runs several community-based programmes: the Youth Environment Project; the Shova Lula Cycle Cooperative; Ubuhle Bemvelo; the Iteke Waste Recycling Project; various organic food production cooperatives; and the Twanano Paper-making Project.
"In addition to our projects, every year some 100 youngsters are trained to build houses. The project is facilitated by the Umsobomvu youth internship programme and the young people receive certificates at the end of their training," says Sugrue.
Eco-City cooperatives
Youth Environment Project
This project trains young people to be more environmentally aware. Since being set up in 2000, the Youth Environment Project has trained 700 youngsters through drama, poetry, and song.
A sub-section of the project oversees the running of an eco-tourism business, training tour guides through the Gauteng Tourism Authority.
The project is also involved in waste recycling programmes, tree planting, growing food, and helping eliminate alien trees.
Shova Lula Cycle Cooperative
Members of this cooperative see to the repair and resale of bicycles. Second-hand bicycles are donated to Shova Lula from a UK-based organisation called Re-Cycle.
Ubuhle Bemvelo
Driven by the women of Ivory Park and neighbours from Ebony Park, Ubuhle Bemvelo is an agricultural cooperative that grows fruit and vegetables for sale to the local community. The women in the cooperative have received support from the Department of Labour in the form of training and, jointly with Gauteng's Department of Housing, will expand their work to include developing and building other eco-villages around the province.
Iteke Waste Recycling
The Iteke Waste Recycling project is now a fully independent business employing 40 people, 30 full-time. The members - and some local freelance entrepreneurs - collect waste from around the township, as well as papers from the City of Johannesburg offices. This waste is then sold to bulk collectors.
Organic cooperatives
These food-producing cooperatives have met with varying success, having to contend with barren land and a harsh climate. One cooperative, Mvelapandla based in the Eco-Village, however, is managing to produce good quality foodstuffs.
The Twanano Paper-making Project
The Twanano project concentrates on making gift-wrapping and paper from recycled paper and locally available natural resources. Participants in this project learn a variety of skills, including the technical aspects of papermaking and how to run a successful business.
This business, run jointly with Witwatersrand Technikon, has just received a major financial boost from the national government and is set to expand and improve its marketing strategy.
For more information, including arranging a visit to the Eco-Village, contact Errol Radebe on 072 255 0350.
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