HILLCREST residents are happy to be representing South Africa at the Spogomi Competition in Japan. The Frober Rovers is a team of three which consists of Courtney Both and Philippe and Derek de Froberville.
Spogomi is a competition that was started in Japan a few years ago regarding rubbish collection. The name is the contraction of the word, ‘sport’ and ‘gomi’ which means trash in Japanese. Points are earned by collecting rubbish and separating the items into their recyclable categories.
Also read: Durbanites tackle clean-up on Beachwood Mangrove Beach
With the Spogami going internationally for the first time, the trio qualified to represent South Africa. Speaking to the Highway Mail, team member Derek de Froberville explained how they entered this competition.
“All the members of the team have taken part in a beach clean-up event at one point or another, so when we heard about Spogomi, we looked forward to participating. As everyone in South Africa knows, and specifically us Durbanites, we have a big litter problem.
“Turning the solution into a competition is a fantastic way to make cleaning the city and our beaches fun and engaging.
“At the qualifier, we intended to spend the day meeting new people, having fun and being a part of the initiative. While we had maybe a little hope that we would win, never did I imagine we actually would. Now we are on our way to Japan to represent South Africa and help bring awareness to such a huge issue we face on an international stage,” said Derek de Froberville.
Also read: Lend a hand at first #CleanBlueLagoon beach clean-up of 2023
De Froberville said winning the competition would be wonderful, but they are happy for the greater work that has already been done through raising awareness. “Win or lose, we want to bring home a renewed sense of pride, community and urgency to deal with the issues at hand,” he said.
Furthermore, the team is looking to expand their initiative beyond the competition. “We are hoping to raise some extra funds to be able to check off a few team goals, such as uniforms, providing financial assistance for an independent documentary and raising funds for a relevant charity. For this, we have started a BackaBuddy campaign to raise as many funds as possible.
“We have a platform, and we want to use it to make a difference. Any assistance with this and every donation is valuable, no matter how small or big it may be.”
You can support them here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/derek-de-froberville-5744931739897354956
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