On 21 April 2023, the Unisa Women's Forum (UWF) hosted its Earth and Wellness Day to discuss issues affecting the planet and ways to make our environment a healthier place to live in. The event was organised by an Exco member of the UWF, Dr Vuyokazi Sigaqa, who is based in the Eastern Cape region.

The UWF welcomed the call by the United Nations (UN) to preserve and commemorate Earth Day on 22 April each year. According to Sigaqa, "the UN focuses on the challenges affecting Mother Earth, which is in pain and calling for action". 

Furthermore, she explained that oceans are becoming more acidic because of plastic pollution. "People are affected by extreme heat, wildfires and flooding. Even now, we are still attempting to recover from Covid-19, a worldwide health pandemic linked to the health of our ecosystem," Sigaqa commented.

The UWF embraced the UN’s theme for Earth Day 2023, Invest in Our Planet, by celebrating the day in the belief that there is no planet without human beings, and no human beings without the planet.

Delivering her welcome address, the Chairperson of the UWF, Prof Meahabo Magano, stated that she was excited to see that the gathering was not just made up of Unisans. She acknowledged the speakers who motivated the audience on the day. 

Magano further emphasised that the community needs to take care of wellness issues and pay more attention to gender-based violence (GBV). She stressed that gender issues are among the most serious matters affecting our communities, especially women, children and people with disabilities.

In his keynote address, Unisa’s Dhaya Sewduth, who is also the President of Lifesaving South Africa (SA), spoke about the importance and awareness of water safety. Sewduth mentioned that Lifesaving SA is a non-profit organisation that plays a huge role in saving people’s lives, mostly at places such as beaches, especially during holidays.

Moreover, Sewduth explained that the people from Lifesaving SA who we see at the beaches are volunteers and highlighted the fact that more people are needed to step up and save lives. He urged the community to join in. He also urged parents not to leave children swimming alone at pools, because anything can happen within a second. He noted that the government had put measures in place during the Covid-19 pandemic aimed at reducing the numbers of drownings during holidays, but also noted that these numbers had increased over the last year.

The second speaker, Katlego Marema, gave a presentation on Youth Voice in Earth and Wellness Issues. She spoke about balancing life and daily activities as members of the youth and she added that one of the challenges facing youth is the matter of finding themselves mentors, both for their careers and their social lives. This, she said, affects them, especially mentally and psychologically.

She stated that young people struggle with wanting to champion everything and every goal, but that, when it comes to wellness, they need to take things one step at a time. She added that we cannot take in everything we need to learn at once, and she stressed the need for patience and to implement changes as they become possible.

Also, Marema encouraged the youth to take breaks from some of their activities because young people can break down if they take on too much. She highlighted the importance of nurturing one’s well-being. Significantly, to reduce the escalating numbers of depression, suicide and anxiety among young people. She encouraged the youth to communicate all the time and stop holding things inside themselves. In conclusion, she said: "As we come, as we commemorate Earth and Wellness Day, let us embrace our mental health, our emotions, and the environment. Let us take care of our environment and be kind to one another and find ways to assist each other to find balance and be happy in our spaces."

The third speaker, Shika Ndhundhuma, focused on Women’s Mental Wellness. Ndhundhuma is an occupational therapist by profession and takes a special interest in mental health matters. In her introduction, she praised Unisa, saying that she viewed it as a national asset. She then spoke on the history of women, about what women used to do in the past, and how women are over-committed and responsible.

She highlighted that women forget themselves and that they forget to make themselves happy. "In fact," she added, "women forget to put themselves first." Speaking about how people become troubled, Ndhundhuma said, "I find that the problem is within the family system where teenagers do not feel that they are appreciated or that they belong in the family system".

The UWF’s Earth and Wellness Day was a huge success. The programme featured a poet, Claudia Fratini, a sign language interpreter, Sophy Mabaso, and a few other UWF women who introduced the speakers. These were Dr Vuyokazi "Vuyo" Sigaqa and Kedibone Thantsha.

* By Nozuko Langa, Lecturer, Department of Information Science and Deputy Chairperson of the UWF