22 SANCTUARY ASIA, 2018 MAYChico Mendes
Brazilian activist and conservationist Chico
Mendes devoted much of his life to bring
literacy to the natives of the Amazon
and was the force behind the movement
that organised the labourers of the
rubber plantations in the South American
rainforest. His activism alerted the world to
the dangers of deforestation in the Amazon.
Born Francisco Alves Mendes on December
15, 1944, in the Brazilian village of Porto
Rico, Mendes was the eldest of 17 siblingsHUMANS
Nature
of
When ordinary folk are empowered, the most extraordinary things
can happen. Meet two outstanding humans who harnessed their
people’s power to help save their communities and the planet.
their tractors and chainsaws to stop
the destruction.
Chico Mendes consistently communicated
at world forums how the deforestation of
the Amazon rainforest was contributing to
climate change and walked the talk with
his activism. Unfortunately, Mendes paid
for his activism with his life when he was
shot dead in December 1988 in front of
his house.Isatou Ceesay
Known as the ‘queen of plastic recycling’
in her native country, Isatou Ceesay has
been empowering women in Gambia
for over 20 years to turn plastic waste
into revenue, thereby increasing their
importance in the society and ensuring
their financial independence.
The lack of awareness about disposing
waste properly prompted Isatou and four
other women to start the Recycling Centre
of N’jau in 1997. Villagers were educated
on the need to collect and recycle plastic
waste. Every Sunday, through local markets
and other programmes, these women
volunteers taught community members
how to manage domestic waste. When
she saw the women of N’Jau using plastic
waste to light up charcoal stoves, she
knew at once that she had to change this.
She was keen to rewrite women’s role in
society by bringing financial freedom totheir tractors and chainsaws to stopthe members of the group and allowing
them to make their own decisions.
What started as a small initiative in her
native village has now been recognised as
an official community-based organisation
known as Women’s Initiative Gambia
(WIG), and has more than 2,000 members
in 40 different communities throughout
the country. Members of WIG now make
wallets, bags and balls for children every
week from the reclaimed plastic bags that
they cut, knit and sew patiently. Apart
from waste management and plastic
recycling, WIG’s members are also trained
to manage their income.
As a result of their hard work, the
government of Gambia consulted them
and voted for a total ban on plastic bags.
WIG now collaborates with international
NGOs to collect plastic and organic waste.of whom only six survived into adulthood.
Both parents and children worked to
support the family, which lived in
extreme poverty.
Growing up, Mendes developed a keen
awareness of the injustice imposed on
his family and his community by wealthy
rubber barons, who owned rainforest lands.
His father taught him how to read, and
Mendes in turn shared his knowledge with
other members of his community.
In the 1970s and 80s, when cattle ranchers
bought land from the rubber barons, and
started clearing forests to make pasture
lands, Mendes organised plantation
workers into labour unions and brought
the attention of the world to their cause.
He played a crucial role in uniting the
workers’ struggle with the movement
against widespread deforestation. Using a
technique known as the empate, or stand-
off, Mendes and other activists confronted
tree-cutting crews and stood in front of“If we prepare children
to become better
leaders, and women to
play an important part
alongside men, then we
will be able to mitigate
climate change.”“At first I thought I was
fighting to save rubber
trees, then I thought I
was fighting to save the
Amazon rainforest. Now
I realise I am fighting
for humanity.”