Five South Africans need our help… they have been listed on the “35 under 35 Changemakers 2019” list by Contiki, and they need our votes.
Johannesburg, South Africa – The 35 Under 35 is an annual awards programme by Contiki to uncover, reward and celebrate young people making a change in the world. The list requires votes which will see one of them crowned as the new Sustainability Ambassador for Contiki.
Five South Africans made the “35 Under 35 Changemakers 2019” final cut. The prize awarded to the Sustainability Ambassador includes mentorship by a leader in the sustainability industry; promotion of the cause to Contiki’s audiences, and 1 x ‘Storyteller mission’, to tell a sustainability story in an incredible travel destination. In keeping with the theme of sustainability, the prize is not just an award but an incredible opportunity for the winner – designed to nurture and further develop and support their initiative.
This is the second annual 35 Under 35 Changemakers award by Contiki, following the inaugural awards in 2018. Nominees were crowdsourced through public nominations, while the finalists for this year’s awards were vetted by Seth Maxwell, CEO of thirst. The winner will be decided by public vote. You can vote for your pick here, thankfully you get three votes so you can spread them to the South African nominees. Voting closes at 12 pm GMT on 11 June 2019.
Introducing the 5 South African nominees:
Academic tutoring for inner-city children
Christian Kayembe’s mission is to make a difference to the kids living in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa. He founded an organisation called Classroom Buddies which assists students from disadvantaged areas with life mentorship, free academic tutoring and more. Christian’s goal is to break the cycle of poverty once and for all.
Sharing a love for African History and Travel
Ondela Mlandu is driven by a passion for our home continent and a desire to celebrate and share African history with the world. She is also a multimedia journalist who has written for several publications on travel and a radio host and content producer. Her show, on 2Oceans Vibe, aims to educate South African’s on what is happening around the world as well as in our country.
Breaking the Silence on Sexual Violence
Florence founded the Florence Masetla Foundation in 2013 and pioneered an initiative called CLIMB against sexual abuse in May 2015. CLIMB is committed to breaking the silence on sexual violence and creating a powerful movement of change. The organisation is continuously expanding with a presence in more than 17 countries across five continents and with a team which serves a world without borders, spreading awareness, undoing the stigma, and challenging societal mindsets.
HIV and the Impact on the Vulnerable
Letitia Rambally Greener is a researcher, striving to better understand the drivers and the impact of HIV among the most vulnerable within our society. She would like to drive evidence-based policy-making that helps bring about positive change and meaningfully contributes to sustainable social transformation in society.
Feeding the Aged and Child-Headed Households
Sibusiso Hlolweni is a human rights activist based in Secunda. He made national headlines after walking 300km from Secunda to Nelspruit, advocating for the rights of elderly person’s in Mpumalanga. Since January this year, he and his team have donated more than 300 food parcels to struggling families and vegetable seed to the beneficiaries of the food parcels, teaching them how to grow small gardens.
The awards programme is hosted by six-two, the travel & lifestyle magazine powered by Contiki. The theme of sustainability is aligned with Contiki’s mission through their social responsibility partner the TreadRight Foundation, which pledges to make a positive impact along their three key pillars: People, Planet and Wildlife.
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