The Africa Green Earth Projects nonprofit is a waste management and recycling organisation that buys recyclable materials from businesses, landfill waste pickers and walk-in clients. It is also a community recycling project that provides youth employment opportunities. Although it is a volunteer programme at the moment, it has the potential to create permanent jobs for members of rural communities. The nonprofit is run by environmentalist Benjamin Jack Magongo, its leader and founder, and its strength lies in fighting climate change and global warming, which has earned it some major sponsorships.
Its initiatives are based on developing rural communities through outreach programmes and awareness creating campaigns. The programmes include donating indigenous trees to rural schools, rehabilitating rivers and streams and collecting recyclables from rivers to reduce waste and keep the environment clean and healthy. At the moment the Africa Green Earth Projects is conducting awareness campaigns at rural schools in the jurisdiction areas of the City of Mbombela municipality. The nonprofit is also hosting South African National Biodiversity Institute intern students from its Groen Sebenza Programme, a two-year skills empowerment initiative that promotes conservation and protection of the ecosystem, helping participants to embark on rewarding and meaningful careers in the biodiversity sector.
What’s been your/the organisation’s greatest achievement in your field?
Winners of KLCBT Awards for Sustainability Community 2023. Coca Cola beverages South Africa sponsored R170 000 and Polyco sponsored R311 000 in October 2023.
Please provide specific examples of how your/your organisation’s practices and work have a positive effect on the environment
- River Stream Rehabilitation
- Rural Waste Reduction and Wetlands Awareness Campaign
- Recycling
What are some of the biggest environmental challenges faced by South Africans today?
- Rural illegal dumping sites
- Wetlands damaged due to new complex building development
- Indigenous tree cutting
Our theme this year is Celebrating Environment Heroes. What do you believe could be the repercussions for millions of people in South Africa and the continent if we do not tackle problems exacerbated by climate change, encompassing issues like drought, floods, fires, extreme heat, biodiversity loss, and pollution of air and water?
Biodiversity conservation and awareness about waste separation at source.