The Tembisa Self Help Association of the Disabled uses nature to heal both people and the environment. (Lesego Chepape/M&G)
It is World Conservation Day and there is no shortage of organisations that work on large-scale programmes. Others, such as the Tembisa Self Help Association of the Disabled (TSHAD), ensure that conservation is celebrated every day.
TSHAD might not be at the forefront of conservation programmes, such as saving rhinos or endangered plants, but they do their bit to conserve the environment in which they live, says Ntokozo Maseko, who works in the finance department.
He says there is nothing more fulfilling than his job.
“I walk around 14km every day to come to work and another 14 to go back home because I know the impact TSHAD has on the community of Tembisa, especially the disabled community. That on its own brings joy to my heart.
“We collect bottles, cardboard boxes and plastics from surrounding areas, which waste companies collect from us, and we receive money which we use to run the centre, like buying office supplies, food and to keep the lights on,” Maseko says. “The centre is a volunteer programme and relies on the few donations it gets.”
In addition to recycling and cleaning up the environment, TSHAD has a plant nursery and a garden in which they grow vegetables, such as kale, spinach, onions and beetroot.
Bulelwa Jokojokwane, who is the team leader at the nursery, says conservation is at the core of what TSHAD does and she prides herself on having a platform to teach disabled people about the plants they cultivate.
“You find that some of the people that work here don’t have an arm, some don’t have a leg and others have intellectual disabilities. However, they know which plant does what and we have seen some gain back their confidence by working at the nursery,” she says.
Jokojokwane emphasises the health benefits of working in the nursery.
“I am relaxed when I am in nature, and I have heard some of my disabled colleagues say that breathing fresh air and tending to these plants has helped them offload some of the stress they might be feeling,” she says.
They are able to make money for the organisation as the community buys plants and vegetables from them.
The centre houses people with physical and intellectual disabilities and part of their programme is to work closely with nature by taking care of it and also understanding that it can take care of you, she says.
Clara Khumalo, who works with Agreeneth Khanyile, a physical activities volunteer, runs the autism department at TSHAD. She showed the Mail & Guardian a vegetable garden tended by those with autism.
Khumalo says that before it was a garden, the space was used as a dump site.
“We cleaned it up and it has become a safe space for those with autism. It was clear that they understood the importance of taking care of the environment and they were so eager to clean it and take care of it.
“So, the garden is a place that gives them the independence they need and we have seen many of them come out of their shell because of this garden and some of the activities that Agreeneth and I have developed for them.”
Maseko says some of the people at the centre use the skills they are taught to plant vegetables in their backyards, which also aids in food security.
“Our whole mission is to not only provide a haven but to also make sure that these skills on how to conserve the environment go far beyond these parameters. They must thrive, whatever that means to them,” says Maseko.
And they do thrive and use their skills to also be part of the bigger picture of keeping the environment clean, not only for themselves but for those who come after them.
Fana Mkhwanazi, who has an intellectual disability he is not comfortable disclosing, says that there is too much pollution in the township, so he decided to join the recycling programme at TSHAD.
“I decided to get into the recycling programme at TSHAD so I can also contribute to my community through cleaning up and recycling,” Mkhwanazi says.
He says there are people who bring waste to them to sort but he enjoys days when he can take a trolley to collect whatever he can to bring back to the centre to recycle. However, this can be dangerous.
“We sometimes get our trolleys taken from us by thugs and, if one of us has a cellphone, that also gets stolen, so we understand the risk, but the reward feels greater than the risk,” he says.
Maseko says that their food gardens and recycling programmes are their contribution to conservation.
“It may be small but it is important to the people on these programmes and for the great good of Tembisa. We take part in conservation every day.”
Lesego Chepape is a climate reporting fellow, funded by the Open Society Foundation for South Africa