We are excited to announce that our Eco Trading Store is currently under construction! You may have heard about in the build up to Mandela Day 2019 – the Eco Trading Store is a new project that aims to reduce dependency amongst our participants. 

In a community like Diepsloot, we often find that the people we work with are struggling to meet their basic needs. Part of our mandate is to help aspiring entrepreneurs develop their businesses so that they can secure an income for themselves and eventually create jobs in their community. But how can we expect people to build thriving businesses when they are hungry?

We try to help our participants as much as we can by providing soup and sandwiches on a daily basis. However, this only provides a temporary solution and is not empowering in any way. 

The Eco Trading store enables people to buy what they need using a community currency, which they earn through “green” activities. They can bring in eco bricks they’ve made or seedlings they’ve grown to earn this currency. They “do something to get something”, rather than receiving handouts. This builds dignity through earning, while at the same time benefitting the community. 

Using this model, we hope to develop a culture of social responsibility, self-reliance and eco-awareness. The system has already been tested with our Roots & Shoots group and has been very successful.

Keep an eye out for our Mandela day communications to find out how you can help.