Women’s Month: Sarah Niemand

Our #WomenInConservation are all inspiring, driven and passionate individuals, who each have unique stories to tell. Sarah Niemand, leader of the Blinkwaters Co-op in Buffeljasbaai is one such woman. Buffeljasbaai, a small community located 15 minutes from Pearly Beach in the Overberg Region, is home to a small-scale fishing community which faces many challenges, including unemployment and substance abuse. Sarah is passionate about finding solutions to these issues and is focused on finding entrepreneurship opportunities to help uplift and empower her community. Through TMF’s Grootbos Foundation Small Grants Facility, Sarah and her co-op received funding to upgrade their sour fig jam processing and agri-processing capabilities. Grootbos Foundation also ensured that the co-op received additional business development and marketing support. This has assisted Sarah, and eight other individuals, to produce a high quality product, sourced from the local fynbos, which they now sell at food and wine festivals. The funding has also critically helped them to find new ways to extend the shelf life of all of their products.