In 2019, a National NGO, Humana People to People, South Africa (HPPSA) won a USAID cooperative agreement (as prime implementing partner) to use the Stepping Stones model to implement an HIV/AIDS program in Chief Albert Luthuli, Nkomazi, and in Bushbuckridge sub districts in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The focus of this model is the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) within the migrant and mobile populations in the target farming communities and informal settlements.
The model involves various sessions that aims at creating HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and empowering the AGYW mostly migrants from neighbouring Mozambique and Swaziland as they flock into the farming areas in search for jobs and a better life.
Most of these sessions take place in the open or under the tree. The tree as depicted in the picture is a natural attraction, as it welcomes all; human beings, birds, insects etc, providing shelter, food and absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere.
Just like by the “Rivers of Babylon” the AGYW sit down under the tree and get life lessons through the stepping stones sessions. Here they share their stories, think of their loved ones back home, but most importantly learn the survival skills; Skills to adapt and mitigate the harsh environmental conditions in the farms; skills to advocate and make their voices heard; skills to assist them practice Climate Smart Agriculture and hence ensure food security.

Climatelinks Photo Gallery
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October 2016, Conservation South Africa's (CSA) Nolubabalo Kwayimani teaches volunteers to perform a stream assessment in order to determine changes and improvements in stream health in the uMzimvubu watershed. The uMzimvubu catchment spans over two million hectares of the poorest rural areas of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. This critical ecosystem provides water to approximately one million people and supports more than 2,000 plant and animal species that are unique to this area. The catchment is presently under threat due to the degradation of land from overgrazing, the loss of land to water-thirsty invasive vegetation, and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Rural communities also face significant challenges: unemployment is higher than the national average, with many people dependent upon social grants and the landscape for their livelihoods. The proportion of households with access to piped water inside the home or yard is as low as 16 percent, and waterborne diseases pose a risk to youth and the elderly. In order for conservation to be effectively implemented, the health needs of the community and the proper management of their livestock need to be addressed. CSA is working in the upper reaches of the uMzimvubu to improve water resources sustainability by applying a “One Health” framework that integrates water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities with freshwater conservation, improved livestock farming and restoration efforts. By empowering local communities to manage and benefit from their natural resources, and supporting local governance structures that enable sustainable livelihoods, “One Health” aims secure water futures for all water users. This project draws on work from the USAID-supported Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group—a consortium of seven international conservation NGOs—to develop project implementation guidelines and a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework and indicators to measure the added value of integrated freshwater conservation and WASH programming. CSA’s “One Health” initiative in the uMzimvubu catchment is demonstrating how human well-being, economic growth, and environmental sustainability go hand in hand.
This photo was taken on May 10, 2019 in Leyden, a small village in the Waterberg district in Limpopo province, South Africa. Rainfall is scare in this village and the rest of the province is faced with water scarcity. Hence small scale vegetable cultivation is rarely practiced in this village. This all changed through a smart agriculture initiative implemented by a national NGO, Humana People to People in South Africa (HPPSA). With funding received from Global Water Challenge, HPPSA mobilized community members in Leyden and trained them on how to manage water and grow vegetables on dry land through mulching. The results were so amazing so much so that more than 375 family members in the community to day benefit from vegetables harvested from their backyard gardens irrespective of the water scarcity in the community. This as they employ smart agricultural practices.
October 2016, Conservation South Africa's (CSA) Nolubabalo Kwayimani and Nompendulo "Pesh" Mgwali teach volunteers to perform a stream assessment in order to determine changes and improvements in stream health in the uMzimvubu watershed. The uMzimvubu catchment spans over two million hectares of the poorest rural areas of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. This critical ecosystem provides water to approximately one million people and supports more than 2,000 plant and animal species that are unique to this area. The catchment is presently under threat due to the degradation of land from overgrazing, the loss of land to water-thirsty invasive vegetation, and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Rural communities also face significant challenges: unemployment is higher than the national average, with many people dependent upon social grants and the landscape for their livelihoods. The proportion of households with access to piped water inside the home or yard is as low as 16 percent, and waterborne diseases pose a risk to youth and the elderly. In order for conservation to be effectively implemented, the health needs of the community and the proper management of their livestock need to be addressed.
CSA is working in the upper reaches of the uMzimvubu to improve water resources sustainability by applying a “One Health” framework that integrates water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities with freshwater conservation, improved livestock farming and restoration efforts. By empowering local communities to manage and benefit from their natural resources, and supporting local governance structures that enable sustainable livelihoods, “One Health” aims secure water futures for all water users. This project draws on work from the USAID-supported Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group—a consortium of seven international conservation NGOs—to develop project implementation guidelines and a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework and indicators to measure the added value of integrated freshwater conservation and WASH programming. CSA’s “One Health” initiative in the uMzimvubu catchment is demonstrating how human well-being, economic growth, and environmental sustainability go hand in hand.
Conservation Agriculture Story-8
Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm has an installed capacity of 138 MW. It is located between the town of Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp, approximately 70 km west of Port Elizabeth in the Kouga Municipality.