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Tree-preneurs get bicycles

People grow trees in exchange for new bicycles as part of Fluor’s new project in eMbalenhle.

eMBALENHLE – Fluor recently hosted an event in Secunda during which 75 Buffalo bicycles were handed over to 65 successful Wildlands’ Tree-preneurs who took part in a community programme launched in eMbalenhle in 2011 to aid and support the development of sustainable communities and eco-system restoration activities.

Fluor, a global engineering and construction company, is committed to leaving a positive legacy in the communities where they execute projects and has to that effect put in place a community project that involved Fluor partnering with the Wildlands Conservation Trust which provided the funding to facilitate the programme and Qhubeka which sponsored the bicycles.

“The project involves tree-preneurs who collect indigenous tree seeds to plant, grow and care for.

“Upon meeting the requirements, the tree-preneurs are legible for receiving a bicycle,” said Mr Thabang Tawarima from Fluor South Africa.

The programme is structured around the recruitment of a network of community-based members by a project facilitator from Wildlands.

The recruitment was undertaken broadly within the eMbalenhle community and several nodes with champions to help with day to day needs of the participants.

The recruited community members were then offered training in 2012 and in 2013 the germination and planting of their seeds began.

The tree-preneurs began the tree planting process in their backyards.

The process is a low cost platform whereby tree-preneurs use discarded soda plastic bottles to grow the trees in.

The project facilitator offers extensive ongoing training to these people in terms of the handling and germinating of seeds in various climates.

The project facilitator also undertakes the measuring and collection of the trees and is ultimately the link between Wildlands and the community.

According to Mr Tawarima, participants can plant as many trees as they can as there is no limit to the number of bicycles that they can receive.

The 65 proud recipients, of which 50 tree-preneurs were women, met all the requirements and grew 7 659 trees and by doing so, became legible to exchange their trees for Qhubeka bicycles.

Bicycle recipients can ute their bicycles in any way they deem fit.

The bicycle carries a unique serial number which matches the legitimate recipient’s identification details.

“This programme has already contributed immensely to the quality of life of many people.

“The bicycles have played an empowering role in the lives of the people where access to remote areas were improved.

“Children can now spend more time in school as travel time to and from school was shortened.

“Healthcare givers can provide more home-based health care to their patients as they now have bicycles as a means of transportation,” said Mr Tawarima.

According to him, Fluor is planning to partner with Qhubeka again to support their Bicycle Education Empowerment Programme in an effort to promote education and school attendance by ensuring children are provided with quality bicycles to use as safe transport.

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