The “Clean Projects” initiative is inspiring active citizenry and community love while beautifying Benoni and beyond!
Benoni, South Africa (04 April 2023) – A Gauteng community is doing it for themselves by becoming active citizens and working together to keep their town clean!
Lao Tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” For Jonathan Etherington, that single step was founding Clean Projects in December 2022 with the mantra that “little things can make a big difference.” Fed up with the overgrown and neglected intersection of Pretoria Road and Fifth Avenue, he rallied a team of over 50 volunteers to take action.
Starting with cutting the grass and creating a water-wise mound of succulent plants, the Clean Projects team soon identified other projects that needed urgent attention. With the support of sponsors, partners, volunteers, and the community, they started planting, painting, cleaning, weeding, and improving the look of the intersection. The impact was so significant that their efforts quickly expanded to over 10km of road and neighbouring parks.
Bill Nye once said, “To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.” Clean Projects has embodied this sentiment and has undoubtedly started leaving Benoni better than they found it. They hope that the movement inspires others into action and the spirit of Ubuntu is alive and well.
Clean Projects has received overwhelming support from the community, and their impact has been felt throughout the town. They have even been able to employ a full-time staff member to continue their efforts.
As Alison, Jonathan’s wife and project coordinator, said, “We want to inspire others to take action and make a difference. It’s the little things that count, and together we can make a big difference. We hope the initiative will encourage communities and businesses to adopt these areas to ensure that it remains in a good condition and build on to what we started. We want the community to take ownership of the city, truly making our home a place to be proud of.”
Join the Clean Projects movement by clicking here and be part of creating a cleaner and more beautiful community. Or better yet, start your own active citizenry project in your community!
We are stronger together, and together we can make South Africa the country we know it can be!
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