CCFA Youth Development – Changing one person’s life at a time

CCFA Youth Development – Changing one person’s life at a time

2023 Youth Development Initiative

 

Changing one person’s life at a time – support us in helping make vulnerable youths ‘future-ready’

4-week educational youth development and empowerment programme equipping young adults with vital employability and life skills to improve their chances of finding employment

 

SIYAZENZELA 

The CCFA supports Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) and its Siyazenzela (we are doing it for ourselves) training course. The WFA drives holistic skills development and conservation based education interventions for previously disadvantaged youths. Their Siyazenzela training course focuses on emotional & social wellness, occupational & financial wellness, and physical & environmental wellness.

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The Siyazenzela Project models a process to allow the target group (18 to 28 year olds, from vulnerable communities, unemployed and lacking immediate access to the marketplace) over a period of three to four weeks (flexibility to include funder / client bespoke modules) to identify and evolve the inner capacity to meet the universe on equal terms. This is achieved through high energy facilitation breaking into the nature and intent of their relationships with themselves, their families and their communities.

The Resilience component of the project aims at provide students with the following innovative elements: (1) access to wellness, group and individual counselling and psychological support; (2) Job shadowing opportunities; (3) Peer support and mentoring amongst youth through a) absorption of outstanding graduates to become facilitators of the project — thus ensuring that the course is implemented by youth/graduates who have demonstrated extraordinary insight and capacity, and who relate entirely to the experience of the candidates as well as b) establishing Peer support groups through the Whatsapp medium; (4) work readiness and livelihood skills and (5) structured and extended resilience support and monitoring, through quarterly graduate group engagement sessions.

Central to the Siyazenzela project approach is our objective of enhancing the resilience potential of the young people that go through it by also exposing them to mother nature’s resilient spirit which they are encouraged to adopt and adapt to their own life circumstances.
Of significance is the unique attachment, based on the many years of engagement with wilderness and nature, of the modules to the healing power of nature, through immersion in the space. This takes place by means of a three- day Imbewu trail, during which the candidates are guided in a “light touch” process to connect with the peace and resilience found in the wild.

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UMZI WETHU CONSERVATION TRAINING

The Umzi Wethu (our home) youth development training course provides training for previously disadvantaged youth. The course incorporates the following innovative elements: (1) a mentorship support programme; (2) access to wellness, group and individual counselling and psychological support; (3) assists the students in finding paid internship placements and supports them in securing jobs, post training.

The CCFA, together with the WFA, intend to continue to monitor graduates from the Siyazenzela and Umzi Wethu courses as they move onto their various career paths.

Past records have proven that 75% of these graduates maintain their jobs in the first two years following course completion. Local businesses, including Mantis properties have gained reliable staff through these programs.

Umzi Wethu beneficiaries are selected from Siyazenzela Basic Employability and Personal Growth courses.  

CONSERVATION: FGASA APPRENTICE FIELD GUIDE SKILLS PROGRAMME (NQF 2)

This 10 – week course focuses on coaching and developing the beneficiaries with the necessary guiding skills to be competent to enter the guiding industry at an introductory level.
The following subjects are covered during the course:

– Guiding Skills

– Geology

– Astronomy

– Weather and Climate

– Ecology

– Biomes of Southern Africa

– Taxonomy

-Plants and Grasses

– Arthropods

– Amphibians

– Reptiles

– Fish

– Birds

– Mammals

– Animal Behaviour

– Historical Human Habitation

– Conservation Management

In addition to the FGASA Apprentice Field Guide curriculum the following modules have been added to enhance the guiding skills of the beneficiaries and to prepare them thoroughly for the ecotourism industry:
– Vehicle skills and 4X4 Driving skills

– Tracking skills

– Wilderness First Aid Level 2

– Wildflowers

– Hospitality skills

– Presentation and Interpretive skills

– Photographic skills

The beneficiaries will host real guests

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Nearly all the countries in the world have promised to improve the planet and the lives of its citizens by 2030.

They’ve committed themselves to 17 life-changing goals, outlined by the UN in 2015. These Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), include ending extreme poverty, giving people better healthcare, and achieving equality for women.  The aim is for all countries to work together to ensure no one is left behind.

This project is aligned with the following goals:

Greening the Community / Adopt a Tree

Greening the Community / Adopt a Tree

As part of the ‘Greening the Community’ empowerment pilot project in the Eastern Cape, aimed at helping the 121 800 community members of Nobuhle improve their environment, CCFA is launching an exciting ‘Planting a Better Future’ campaign in the township.

Adopt-a-tree campaign is the first in a series of initiatives to green the environment, inspired by the Indalo Nursery operating from the local Mantis Collection property at the Hopewell Conservation Estate. The vision is to raise funds to plant 600 trees at schools, churches and safe spaces within the neighbouring Nobuhle township over the next 12 months. That’s only 50 trees per month and we hope to reach our goal long before the year is up!

Your tree

When you Adopt-a-tree online and pay the R300 ‘adoption fee’ you are not only making a difference to our planet but if you are one of the first 350 supporters you will receive a free craft beer or gin voucher from Bridge Street Brewery. As well as an opportunity to win one of our superb monthly prizes of 3 Couple’s Safari Weekends at one of the Mantis properties.

ADOPT-A-TREE NOW

Corporates

We are challenging corporates to adopt a cluster of trees (10) through our 10X Greener Campaign.  Corporates who adopt 10 trees for R3000, will be placed in a corporate lucky draw for an outstanding Mantis Collection staff incentive of luxury couple experience. Corporates who purchase three clusters or more (30 plus trees) will receive use of Bridge Street Brewery’s Tap Room Venue, free of charge, pending availability, valued at R3000.

CLICK HERE FOR 10 TREES PLEASE

Algoa FM is partnering with CCFA on this exciting pilot project and will help inspire listeners – individuals, corporates and the active environment-focussed lifestyle community – to plant trees for a better future. Algoa FM launched the corporate challenge with a 35 tree sponsorship, as part of its 35-year celebration.

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On September 24, Heritage Day, as a final push in support of the greening project, Steven Lancaster, well-known local extreme athlete, embarked on a mammoth challenge to complete a 8849m gruelling run …  his own Mount Everest.

He chose one of Nelson Mandela Bay’s green lungs, Brickmakers Kloof Road, in Baakens Valley, to reach his Mount Everest target. It took 141 summits of 700m to accomplish the task but he planed to push through to 165 summits, or a height of 10 000m and he made it!

This long-term environmental sustainability initiative is about empowering local communities to drive environmental awareness and change.

Funding partners will contribute towards:

  • The alleviation of poverty
  • Assisting with personal and social transformation
  • Changing and uplifting communities
  • Creating a sustainable future

While helping to offset carbon emissions

What types of Trees will be planted?

Spekboom

for Oxygen

Fruit Trees

for Food

Hardwood Trees

For Shade

Education

20 students will be enrolled in the Siyazenzela Life Skills and Employability Course. The course focuses on indigenous horticulture, plant handling, traditional medicine and general conservation and awareness.

Sustainable outcomes

  • Poverty reduction
  • Hunger reduction
  • Responsible consumption
  • Climate action
  • Protecting and restoring the land

CCFA invites you to plant a better future.

Scan the QR code
to purchase a tree

Click here to purchase a tree
find out more here

Community Borehole Project – Namibia

Community Borehole Project – Namibia

Water for the community – Borehole construction

Borehole project: Kasika Conservancy, Zambezi region, Namibia

 

CCFA is pleased to have supported this community conservation initiative to provide safe and convenient access to water as well as assisting communities in their efforts to grow crops for subsistence farming (with a focus on fish and mielies), to feed their families and perhaps in the future create a living that extends further than the grant system.

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After the successful completion of the first borehole in November 2020 in the Maliyazwa Village, CCFA wishes to provide further communities with four more much-needed boreholes. The additional boreholes will be piped to at least 8 strategically positioned outlets in order to allow for even distribution within the community, serving at least 400 people. The nearest river is a great distance away from the community and the presence of wild animals such as hippo and crocodiles in the river and on the river banks, makes collecting water there a life threatening task. Many community members have already lost their lives over trying to access this water source.

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First borehole construction completed, November 2020

Mr Libuku’s village (Maliyazwa) is home to a community of approximately 40 people, who are now able to access water safely, thanks to the recent construction of a borehole in their village. This is a pure luxury for the community who had previously resorted to descending 10 metres into a collapsed water well to collect water to fulfil  their basic needs for survival. Standing on the collapsed edges of the well to access water was a life threatening feat in that there were no reinforcements surrounding the structure. The water table had dropped due to drought conditions, hence the need to descend at least 10 metres below ground level.

The recent borehole construction at Libuku Village has provided the many elderly people, as well as those in poor health living there, with easier access to water. The act of collecting water from a well and walking far distances to a water source, was not available to these physically challenged community members. Now, water points are located closer to the homestead and the borehole has been fitted with a sediment filter (a bidden wrapped around the intake pipe) to keep larger debris out of the water.

Jamanda Community Conservancy – Zimbabwe

Jamanda Community Conservancy – Zimbabwe

JAMANDA COMMUNITY CONSERVANCY PROJECT

The Jamanda Community Conservancy (JCC) in Zimbabwe is a project focused around facilitating the co-existence of rural communities and wildlife, to further support the existing CAMPFIRE program (Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources).

CAMPFIRE was established in response to clashes between a tribal community that was moved off its land in 1966 to make way for wildlife reserves, Ghonarezhou National Park and the Department of National Parks. This community is today known as the Mahenye community and is situated just outside Ghonarezhou. It is regarded as Zimbabwe’s finest example of a CAMPFIRE program.

The most recent expansion of the project has been by the Mahenye community who have set aside 7,000 hectares of land to establish the JCC. The JCC shares a 12km boundary with Gonarezhou Park allowing wildlife free movement. A 25km game fence funded by the EU minimises the risk of human-wildlife conflict. A headquarters, workshop, reception office and three ranger bases are under construction and should be completed by the end of the year.

The challenge for this community conservation initiative is for them to become self-sufficient in meeting their operational costs and in contributing to the improvement of livelihoods of the community at large. To this end the Jamanda Steering Committee has identified an income-generating project through the development of a low key non-consumptive tourist camp. The economic viability of this camp will determine the success or failure of the entire project.

The CCFA proudly funded the construction of a 12-bed self-catering camp within the Jamanda Conservancy, on the Save River, which overlooks the Gonarezhou National Park. The camp will offer guests a cultural visit to the villages, game activities and game drives into the GRZ Park.

The final phase of the project is to secure sufficient funding to meet the cost of game capture and translocation of wildlife from private conservancies, in order to fast-track product development by providing a competitive wildlife experience. The focus will be on plains game, as species such as elephant and predators will naturally move in from the GRZ Park.

Human Elephant Coexistence – Namibia

Human Elephant Coexistence – Namibia

ELEPHANT CONSERVATION AND HUMAN ELEPHANT CONFLICT MITIGATION PROGRAMME

CCFA is pleased to have supported an initiative that is creating harmony between communities and wildlife in the Kunene region of Namibia.

Ombonde People’s Park, located in the Kunene region, is home to desert-adapted elephant, black rhino, giraffe, lion and cheetah – all vulnerable or threatened in Africa.  The Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation’s (IRDNC) Elephant conservation and human-elephant mitigation programme, aims to prevent poaching in the area, while enhancing and building on community ownership of wildlife and natural resources. This is an authentic partnership between community conservancies and the government.

Drought is a constant threat that affects basic living standards and survival. It creates social strains such as unemployment, hunger and an increase in human-wildlife conflict scenarios. Many predators have moved closer to the homesteads, preying on livestock and destroying gardens because they are struggling to source water and food in their own habitats. Similarly, some farmers are encroaching on core wildlife zones in search of better grazing opportunities for their livestock.

There are currently 674 conservancy members working towards the common goal to live peacefully alongside wildlife by employing sustainable livelihood practices.

Various meetings held between January 2018 and August 2019, facilitated by the IRDNC team members, focused on plans to introduce a community garden and erect a solar-powered electric fence to protect it from elephants and other wildlife.

Funding for the project was approved after we received a project outline and application at the 2018 Conservation Lab. It is a project that is aligned with our overarching ethos: Working with local communities to preserve conservation.

CCFA previously donated U$25 000 toward the cost of erecting an electric fence around the community’s food garden which is about 140 625 m² (14 hectares). In addition to the fence, we also secured a commitment from the local council to provide water to the conservancy, to ensure the farming project is sustainable and improves the lives of the community.

The electric fence is comprised of 3 live strands and 2 earth wires. The energiser is a powerful unit, with 8 Joules stored energy – strong enough to deter elephants. It includes a solar PV panel and cover and operates independently of any grid.

The easy to assemble and maintain system, was installed by the community and overseen by the IRDNC Human Wildlife Support team. The community was tasked to nominate a ‘tech savvy’ community member to be trained on how to install the fence and operate the ‘fence tester’ apparatus to allow for fuss-free maintenance.  There will be community ownership regarding the upkeep of the property.

 

Although this practical intervention – the installation of an electric fence – has addressed one of the major problems faced by the community, ongoing strategic interaction between the IRDNC and surrounding communities will continue in the form of:

  • Continuing to identify community concerns around the encroaching elephant population, in order to formulate effective actions towards a more peaceful co-existence.
  • Creating and maintaining awareness about the negative impact of elephant poaching as well as the economic and environmental benefits of cohabiting peacefully with the elephants
  • Monitoring of elephant populations and their movements
  • Gathering data around elephant conflict and determining the cost of any damage to properties and farming livestock to find creative solutions to mitigate these situations
  • Incentivising communities by adding value through tourism, offering training that will enable them to find jobs in the wildlife tourism industry.

 

Latest Update

Great strides have been made in the Kunene Region of Namibia to help create harmonious living conditions between the 674 Ongongo conservancy members – living within the Ombonde People’s Park – and neighbouring wildlife.

The problem

Drought remains the main environmental problem experienced by the Ongongo conservancy. It impacts basic survival and living standards, creates social strains such as unemployment and hunger and increases human-wildlife conflict scenarios. Many predators have moved closer to the homesteads because they are struggling to source water and food in their own habitats and, similarly, some farmers are encroaching on core wildlife zones in search of better grazing opportunities for their livestock.

 

 

The easy to assemble and maintain fence was installed by the 20-strong team, overseen by the IRDNC Human Wildlife Support team.

Designed to deter the elephants, the fence comprises 3 live strands and 2 earth wires.  The energizer is a powerful unit with 8 joules stored energy and comes with a solar PV panel and cover and operates independently of any grid.

The solution

This particular project focused on assisting the community, especially the women, by erecting an electric fence around the community garden to deter elephants – and other animals – from ruining their crops.

 

 

Transferring of skills

The community were educated about the hazards of the ‘live’ fence and how to avoid contact with electricity. Two community members have been trained to monitor and guard the fence while another two are now competent to offer technical support and fence maintenance.

Next steps

Although this practical intervention has addressed one of the major problems faced by the community, ongoing strategic interaction between the IRDNC and surrounding communities will continue in the form of:

  • Identifying community concerns around the encroaching elephant population to help formulate effective actions that will allow a peaceful co-existence
  • Creating and maintaining awareness about the negative impact of elephant poaching as well as the economic and environmental benefits of cohabiting peacefully with the elephants
  • Monitoring the elephant populations and their movements
  • Gathering data around elephant conflict to determine the cost of any damage to properties and farming livestock to find creative solutions to mitigate these situations
  • Incentivising communities by adding value through tourism – offering training to enable them to find employment within the wildlife tourism industry.

Despite the impact on supply chains due to Covid-19 restrictions and subsequent lockdowns, the necessary materials were procured and 20 residents (15 men and 5 women) were nominated to help with the construction, this included:

  • Sourcing fencing poles
  • Collecting and dressing the poles
  • Digging holes and cement corner posts (5), gate posts (1) and stays (12)
  • Cleaning of the fence line
  • Stringing and fastening wires
  • Closing the fence for small stock
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Nearly all the countries in the world have promised to improve the planet and the lives of its citizens by 2030.

They’ve committed themselves to 17 life-changing goals, outlined by the UN in 2015. These Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), include ending extreme poverty, giving people better healthcare, and achieving equality for women.  The aim is for all countries to work together to ensure no one is left behind.

This project is aligned with the following goals:

Beekeeping / Adopt a Hive

Beekeeping / Adopt a Hive

Bees are tiny little miracles of nature – they not only pollinate our flowers but are largely responsible for our crops and food. It is estimated that a third of the food we consume relies predominantly on pollination by bees …

But these little heroes are under threat.

Across the world there has been a growing concern about the decline in the bee population, mainly due to intensive farming, loss of habitat, improper use of pesticides and climate change.

Across the world there has been a growing concern about the decline in the bee population, mainly due to intensive farming, loss of habitat, improper use of pesticides and climate change.

The CCFA team has been hard at work to help prevent the decline in the bee population. In 2019, we relocated 120 new beehives onto three Mantis properties in the Eastern Cape: Hopewell Conservation Estate, Founders’ Lodge and Intle Boutique Hotel. With an average of 50 000 to 75 000 bees per hive, this has created a habitat for around 9 million bees. The project has also created much needed skills development and employment, plus the honey is sold at Mantis properties and Spar retail outlets in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

In partnership with Honeybee Heroes, CCFA is helping to conserve South Africa’s unique Capensis honeybee species while educating South Africans about the importance of buying local, cruelty-free produce. The Adopt-a-Hive’ project offers all guests at Mantis lodges and resorts worldwide the opportunity to directly help honeybees without the challenges that come with operating their own beehives.

In celebration of World Bee Day, CCFA is extending its bee project to the Western Cape by installing 70 adoptable beehives at two sites: on Willowdale Farm in Stanford (the home of the Honeybee Heroes), and at Hazendal, a Mantis property located in Stellenbosch.

 

For an investment of £100 (R2 000)
you can adopt a honeybee hive and,
in return, besides being a bee hero, you receive:

A personalised plaque on
your beehive (this can either be for yourself, a partner, business or a gift for someone special)

Hive progress updates

Contribute towards the long term goal of sustainability of the bee population and community development, through the creation of micro-apiaries
An official adoption certificate
A Beekeeping Experience
(*T&Cs apply)

Click below to Adopt a Hive

Adopt a BEEHive here

Future project goals

include setting up 1 000 micro-apiaries all over South Africa, donating hives, bee-suits and basic tools to rural South Africans in need, in order to empower them to start up their own businesses.

Once installed, the hives and bees will belong to the community with the honey produced sold back to Honeybee Heroes and CCFA, then through Mantis properties and local businesses. This will provide additional jobs and income for the local community.

  • Creating a fully-equipped education centre at Mantis’ Founders Lodge, where guests can participate in a hands-on beekeeping experience with professional beekeepers
  • Offering an eco-tourism experience in the form of a 3-hour interactive beekeeping experience at Willowdale Farm
  • Placing mini beehives at reservations desks and in guest’s rooms, to showcase the complex beehive colony, along with a QR code for additional information about the Adopt-A-Hive project
  • Introducing ‘honey-infused’ menu items, using raw honey sourced from the hives
  • An installation of large-scale bee related artworks
Help Protect Our Honeybees,
They Play A Critical Role In Our Ecosystem.
If Our Bees Die, So Could We … No Bees, No Food.
It Is That Simple!
click here to adopt-a-Hive
click here to donate to this project