Programme Director: Integrated Rural Development, Southern African Region, W K Kellogg Foundation
With a background in development planning, Vuyo now works to uplift the rural poor of Southern Africa. This work is close to her heart, to the extent of personally investing in their craft projects. Her work entails finding growth-oriented opportunities and sustainable funding by which to enrich the lives of these people. ‘We try to create a favourable environment in which rural communities can drive their own lives and create their own development agenda,” she explains.
Many of the projects make use of natural resources. ‘People in rural communities deserve opportunities to make sustainability a way of life.” Vuyo believes environmental issues cannot exclude the voices of the marginalised poor. ‘If people are denied access to resources, it leads to poverty, and in turn to degradation of the environment.”
Traditionally, women are the custodians of culture and knowledge, and an integral part of using resources sustainably, she says. ‘I’ve had the privilege of female role models in my own life who inspired me. It is humbling to continue this tradition by handing on my knowledge as a woman to those who come after me.”