Supported Initiatives

About the initiative:

“Wonderbags” – this project develops skills and empowers women’s groups in the Klein Karoo to make wonder bags and, through a series of interactive workshops, capacitates community groups to understand climate change and the mitigation impact of the use of wonder bags.

This project developed skills and empowered women’s groups in the Klein Karoo to make Wonderbags* and, through a series of interactive workshops, capacitated community groups to understand climate change and the mitigation impact of the use of Wonderbags.

*Wonderbags – eco-friendly slow cooker that uses heat-retention to cook food. This saves money, cooking fuel and carbon emissions, and enables women to use their time for things other than collecting fuel and keeping an eye on pots.

Activities undertaken and deliverables:

• Community climate change workshops in 24 Klein Karoo communities
• Capacity development of women’s groups in manufacturing energy-efficient Wonderbags
• 1,100 Wonderbags manufactured and distributed

About the initiative:

Rethink Bags was created in late 2017 for two main reasons. The first was a desire to assist young women who have not had opportunities to finish school and study further. There is a wealth of talent and passion lying wasted on farms and in towns all around South Africa and further afield. By sharing one of the founder’s passions – sewing and using it to create beautiful, functional re-usable shopping bags – Rethink Bags is addressing the second reason for the creation of the business, that of tackling plastic pollution.