Norkem Park women revive Mooifontein Road in celebration of Women’s Day

Aislebonders is a group of four women from Norkem Park who partnered with Field Band Foundation to beautify the middle island along Mooifontein Road recently.

Aislebonders’s member Meme Phaka said they saw the weed overgrowth was an eyesore and it was causing the road to disintegrate.

She said a patch was identified prior to the clean-up.

“We informed the community of Norkem Park Ext 3 about the plan to revive the middle island along Mooifontein Road on Women’s Day.

“We invited community members to bring succulent cuttings from their gardens,” said Phaka.

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Phaka added that the group carefully chose and planted six different types of succulents.

“These were chosen because they are resilient, their roots are not invasive to infrastructure like roads and they will give life and beauty to a very busy road.”

The Field Band Foundation’s Birchleigh branch youth joined the group for the initiative.

“Women’s Day is a day where we commemorate the strength and resilience of women. A day where we acknowledge and recognise the importance of protecting the value of all women in the world. “

“As women in the community we strive to do our best to promote unity and improve our surroundings,” said Lizanda Joshua from Aislebonders.

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According to Joshua, the day was used as a commemorative date to show that when women pull together then great things happen.

“We are nurturers and we strive to teach and develop our children and community. This is why we included the youth from Field Band Foundation. These youngsters are empowered, resilient and self-confident,” said Joshua.

“They are opportunity-ready and contribute towards creating a more inclusive society.”

Joshua said that the project would not be possible without the hard work of the Norkem Park community and the Field Band Foundation Birchleigh branch youth.

Field Band Foundation was founded in 1997.

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The foundation creates opportunities for the development and self-empowerment of young South Africans through participation in music, dance and active citizenship projects.

Field Band Foundation Birchleigh branch member, Katlego More, said the importance of celebrating Women’s Day was to bring awareness of all the social issues that affect women and to celebrate women.

“During the planting and clean-up, I felt very happy because I was making a difference. I was serving as a helping hand in the community to bring awareness to social issues that affect us every day.

“The planting and clean-up were peaceful because everyone was working together, laughing and sharing memories which is a significant part of being in the Field Band Foundation.

“It showed how many hands can bring so much impact in the society that we live in,” said More.

Another member of the foundation, Khanya Dube, added that celebrating Women’s Day was important because it was a way of honouring women.

“It is also a call to action to work towards creating a more inclusive world for all women. During the clean-up, I was happy to be helping.

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“We were given an opportunity to raise awareness about ongoing issues related to women’s rights,” said Dube.
For more information on the Field Brand Foundation contact national operations manager, Ushama Ross Jerrier on Ushamaj@fieldband.org.za.