Ripples on 50/50 Human/Nature Program SABC2
André: Everybody talks about doing something for the environment but how many of us are really prepared to get on our bikes and do it?
Last year, Liani Broodryk and Maria Botha travelled through Southern Africa on bicycles, kayaks, donkey cart and motorcycles on an awareness campaign about the seriously neglected and polluted condition of our water.
Ntokozo: Their campaign entitled ‘Ripples for Good’ unfortunately ran aground when Liani had a motorcycle accident in Mozambique in December last year. But now they are back on track and ready to set off again riding on the euphoria of the World Cup.
Simon: ‘Ripples for Good’ is endorsed by UNICEF, the CSIR and the Water Research Commission which is helping the team put together educational packs on water care.
Deep within us there is a call to nature … whether we know it or not! We are drawn to the beauty of the sky, the earth and to water.
Water that carries the sweet promise of life. Ye, we have managed to clutter, damage and taint this resource with our waste and our chemicals.
There is a saying that goes: “An activist is not the man who complains that the rivers are dirty. An activist is the man who cleans up the rivers. Or in this case … the women.
Liani Broodryk: I’m Liani, member of Ripples for Good and working for water – motivating change in the waterways.
Maria Botha: I’m Maria. I’m also a member of the Ripples for Good team.
Ripples for Good was born out of the experiences that these two brave women had 6 years ago when they decided to change their lives.
Liani Broodryk: I was part of a guest lodge, running a guest lodge with my mother. There was the choice that came in – do I want to become a partner and I just felt there was more purpose in life. There was something else that I might be doing. Not knowing exactly what it is I thought let me go walk about. We were actually having – we were having a dinner party the one night and I mentioned, “You know what? I’m going to pack my bags and go walk about.” And Maria sat there going “Whoo – I’m coming with!” – and I’m like “Okay fine!” and she mentioned that maybe we must pick a faster way of transport.
Maria Botha: I am a little lazy now and then.
Liani Broodryk: We made our plans and a month later, sold everything, and packed up the bicycles. The dogs? My mother didn’t want to look after them. She said: “Give them away if you need to. They are 4 months old and I am not looking after them. God knows how long you’re going to be gone.” So we made a basket for the dogs in front and away we went. And amazing how life brought the answers to us.
Maria Botha: If you are open and you realise that what you have now is all that you have now is all that you have. It’s the bare necessities that you have with you. Then you realise that only good will happen to you.
Liani Broodryk: People are good.
Maria Botha: That was the awakening of the whole journey. Your parents, your family, your friends, the media, the newspapers, everything tells you that you should be scared to go out there. All of a sudden, as we were driving through SA, two women with our two dogs we had this amazing, magical experience.
People crossed the divides of colour and race, everybody participated in this journey by stopping next to the road, and they invited us to sleep over in their homes. I mean we’re total strangers to these people and they invite us in and they take us in and some of the ‘aunties’ get upset with you: “Brush your teeth!” and “Let me do your laundry for you”.
They help you to do your laundry, feed you and share their community and everything is in such good spirit that it’s actually quite sad that we often pay more attention to the negative. While when you focus more on the positive magical things can happen to you.
Liani Broodryk: Living in all different kinds of households right across borders in every household – rich or poor. It doesn’t matter where, there’s one thing that unifies and unites us all and that’s water. It’s the one thing we all need. We can’t be without it – we all need the same amount of it and we need enough fresh drinking water to sustain our lives and our living.
Maria Botha: We were actually cycling to the Karoo when we crossed the Vaal River near Parys, where we swapped the canoes for the bicycles and then we hopped on the river. There we loved on the Vaal River for six weeks. You paddle. All you have is your canoe, your food and your tent.
You paddle and in the evening you get off the river and you sleep next to it and you get on again and you interact with the people living on the river banks. I was quite shocked to realise that sometimes you just can’t paddle. It’s just horrible.
Liani Broodryk: It was gross! The minute you take your paddle out the water it’s like you are scared of what’s going to flick back on you.
Maria Botha: When we talked to the people as we paddled down, we realised that there were no communication channels available for the people on the ground who really want to do something about the situation. They are passionate. It’s their land, their cattle graze there, their mealies get water from there, everything and it’s food for them and they don’t know how to follow the channels through either the CSIR or the Department of Water Affairs. There is always that closed door, leaving them frustrated and with a bad taste in the mouth because they can’t find solutions. They want to but it’s as if there are different channels.
That’s at this moment I think our biggest challenge. We have the knowledge and we sit with solutions ... researched solutions. But how to get that actually in a practical way to people on the ground and that is where it makes our journey, since we’ve taken on the water issue such an exciting bid.
Liani Broodryk: It’s got a lot to do with social responsibility. Each person to himself – if we take responsibility for our own actions. The water we put down our own drains, what we flush down our own toilets, how we preserve and save water ourselves – we’ll make the government and whoever works with water’s job a little bit easier. If we start recycling as a country. It’s a question of knowing – it’s a question of understanding and it’s a question of wanting to change and wanting to see change.
Maria Botha: I’ve actually realized along the way that any kind of damage that we do to the earth whether it be air pollution or water pollution – or any which way – is a damage to ourselves.
Liani Broodryk: We sit with so many answers like this. Please you know … be aware of this and stop doing that and these people go “Ag, are you crazy? That won’t happen in years – in my lifetime it’ll all be fantastic.” What kind of attitude is that? Really?! Because you’ve got children – you’ve got children who will have children. Never mind that the issues are becoming a little bit more here and now. If we do not solve it now – I’m sorry for those people! In your lifetime? It’ll happen – it’s already happening, so we need to make a change ... now.
It is this passion and commitment to making whatever is possible to make a change that earned Maria and Liani the sponsorship to do another journey.
They are going to travel through South Africa and neighbouring countries carrying the message of water purification and water conservation with them.
The CSIR have partnered with them and given them teaching material as well as access to their field specialists in the field of water conservation. Rural areas, where it’s almost impossible to get information, will be the main beneficiaries for this trip.
So they are off for a whole 6 months – this time on motorbikes!
We wish them bon voyage and every success with their task. We plan to meet up with them along the way and keep you updated on what they’ve been up to.
Ntokozo: Our water quality is becoming a vital issue and we wish the ‘Ripples for Good’ team luck on the trip and we will keep you updated on their progress around the country.