Wise Wayz Water Care team continues with waves of change

Wise Wayz Water Care team members have been buoyed after a visit by board members of AECI and the ethics committee acknowledged all the good work they are doing at Ezimbokodweni Township last month.

Over the past few weeks the beneficiary teams were busy preparing for a first-time visit by AECI and the teams were eager to make a good impression.

The AECI Community and Education Development Trust has supported the 122 beneficiaries of the Wise Wayz Water Care (WWWC) programme since 2016. Through WWWC efforts, streams and wetlands are being kept free of solid waste and invasive alien plants.

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“However, the programme is far more extensive than solid waste and invasive alien plant management,” said I 4 Water director, Kirsten Mahood. “It includes components of food security, water security, community knowledge building, and aquatic assessments and monitoring.”

The special guests were welcomed to the Ezimbokodweni community wetland with two songs from the choir. Guests were then able to engage with representatives from each of the WWWC programme’s interventions and discuss the training that teams had received, the work they are doing and their future plans.

“Smiles and excitement spread like wildfire among the guests, as they interacted with beneficiaries, who were enthusiastically sharing their knowledge and experiences,” said Mahood.

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Highlights included the amazing upcycling work of Bongekile Ngcongo. Bongekile gathers discarded jerseys which she often finds in rivers where she is cleaning. She washes them and unravels them. She then uses the reclaimed wool to crochet useful garments such as dresses and bags.

Another highlight was the detailed discussion Allen Morgan of the Social and Ethics Committee had with Desmond Malgas about the citizen science tools used to monitor and assess the impact of the work of WWWC on river health. Morgan was also able to get some hands-on practical lessons on how to use the tools.

“All guests were impressed at the women training to become plumbers, planning to open their own female-owned plumbing businesses in the future, and to offer their services within their own communities.”

Lucky Nombika, who has a matric education, enthralled the tech fundies when he explained how he had written an application that was used by WWWC beneficiaries to collect information from the broader community on the social and ecological challenges faced on a daily basis.

In closing, Mark Dytor noted that through programmes such as Wise Wayz Water Care, AECI has learnt a great deal, and these lessons would be used going forward. “The day was a remarkable success, with many smiles and much laughter as AECI board members engaged with beneficiaries on a personal level. It is a day that will live in the memories of all participants for many years,” said Mahood.