She Is Forestry SA Webinar

She Is Forestry SA hosted their third Women in Forestry Webinar on Thursday 4 August in celebration of Women’s Month in South Africa, attended by over 300 guests ranging from government and industry representatives to students and those involved in forestry research. This year’s webinar focus was on supporting women in the Forestry Sector and those wishing to join it, “to be the best they can be”.

The programme was packed with full of great advice from women who are leaders in their respective fields, providing the audience with tips and tricks about how to make a CV and cover letter stand out, the barriers and requirements to make the leap into a C-level role and how to find that mythical work/life balance. There were also moving talks by Internationally renowned motivational speaker, Iris Fynn from Mondi, whose life story illustrates that with perseverance any dream is possible; and Keynote Speaker Lesego Mpyana from Move Africa who spoke with passion about her wish to eradicate period poverty – which currently robs 3 in 10 girls in South Africa of valuable school days every month. The webinar recording, programme and award nominations can be found on the Forestry South Africa website.

All the sponsorship generated by this year’s webinar will be directed towards Move Africa’s #TheRedMovementAfrica and the provision of menstrual cups for 2000 girls at the five schools She Is Forestry SA supports. These menstrual cups will ensure that the girls never have to miss another day at school because of period poverty. Lesego’s powerful talk helped the webinar’s BackaBuddy page, set up to collect donations during the webinar from individuals, reach its total target of R10,000 way before the lunch break and ultimately raised R25,000 adding 500 cups to the total above.

“We are exceptionally proud and humbled by the level of donations received, especially when times are so tough. Women, men, companies and families showed their support throughout the webinar and the industry got behind us too with the initial R100,000 sponsorship. Being part of She Is Forestry SA is an incredible privilege. We work with a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to championing and uplifting women across the Forestry Sector. Through She Is Forestry SA, which is still very much in its infancy, we have been able to achieve so much – both in terms of supporting worthy causes but also in providing a platform to showcase the contribution women are making to our Sector.” – Khosi Mavimbela, Executive Director of Forest Sector Charter Council and She Is Forestry Co-ordinator.

This year, She Is Forestry SA launched the first She Is Forestry SA Awards to celebrate the resounding contribution of women and forestry students. PAMSA’s Executive Director, Jane Molony, walked away with the Resounding Contribution to the Forestry Sector Award, while Small-scale Grower Nomthandazo Hlombe, nominated by NCT Forestry Agricultural Co-operative picked up the Special Mention Award. Forestry Students, Lelonathemba Ndaleni from Nelson Mandela University and Zimbili Sibiya from Stellenbosch University won the Undergraduate and Postgraduate award respectively. She Is Forestry SA would like to make a point of congratulating all our nominees, they are all worthy winners.

Women’s Month is really a time to reflect on the role women now play at work, at home and for our community in general. They are the pillars of our communities, the glue that holds us together, the multi-taskers who somehow manage to keep every ball in the air. They are our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, bosses, leaders and partners. This Women’s Month She Is Forestry SA wants to extend its recognition of women beyond the borders of our plantations and into the homes, communities, businesses, and hearts across South Africa. We want every woman to know – they are special, they are valued, and they are seen.

Download Webinar Recording