FLEAT member feature: Nomonde Scoble

Nomonde Scoble has been a SAFCEI friend, member and supporter for as long as we can remember. She represents the Quaker community of Southern Africa. In 2017, Nomonde felt the need to learn from others and share her experiences when she applied to the Faith Leader Environmental Advocacy Training (FLEAT 2) regional group 2 programme. Of course, we had to select Nomonde to become part of the group as she brings such a vibrant and humorous and caring personality to the group as well as a mountain of experience in campaigning for environmental justice which we are all blessed to learn from.

Nomonde shares a short reflection on her journey:

“When Gonubie River mouth was rural and fish, birds and small animals were plentiful, people coped with droughts, storms and floods and lived off the land. We still have many beautiful rivers in South Africa but most people in rural areas still lack clean drinking water, adequate sanitation and so many children are hungry.  A well-nourished child on a Christmas card led me to Quaker Community, after I’d said “no thank you” to an anti-apartheid activist friends’ invitation “to blow up the Constantiaberg Radio Tower.”

"Things were shockingly unequal but my greater concern was for growing, developing children who needed nutritious food urgently.  Quakers have kept on feeding children but the gulf between haves and have-nots grows ever wider!

When SAFCEI was launched, we supported their socio-ecological message as our guiding Quaker Testimonies of Love, Truth, Simplicity, Equality and Peace seemed to lead into Eco-Sustainability.

FLEAT 2017 and ongoing support has enabled us to express more clearly, our truths around ecological politics, corruption by government and big business and horrible greed.

Covid-19 2020 Lockdown is highlighting South Africa’s devastating inequality between people whose Human Rights are the same but whose Right to Food, Water, Sanitation, Shelter, Safe Clean Environment, Education, Health and Life for so many, especially growing developing children in South Africa, have never been realised...

And we need to promote reverence for all life, which has been missing for too long... "

Nomonde Scoble

Southern African Quaker