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Michelle Korevaar, founder of ChangeMakersHub (a South African-based Non-Profit Company (NPC) and Public Benefit Organization (PBO) whose mission is to repurpose harmful plastic into building blocks for a better future for all), has announced her diagnosis with Essential Thrombocythemia (ET), a rare form of blood cancer classified under myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). While the diagnosis presents challenges, Korevaar remains firmly committed to continuing to inspire collective climate action and advance ChangeMakersHub’s mission to combat plastic pollution through an easy to adopt, inclusive and impact driven mission.
Says Korevaar: “This diagnosis is an unexpected crossroads. Any life-threatening situation is overwhelming, and it reiterates how so many of us feel about the climate change crisis. Not doing anything is disempowering, but to have direction and take proactive steps with milestones to reach encourages us! Knowing I have ET feels like a call to courage. Not much is known about the disease. I don’t want to “watch and wait”. It is a reminder that none of us can afford a lack of action around any of the challenges we face. I want to take proactive steps on my life journey, and my contribution to the world. I believe we all do, and the world needs us to! We need to look inward for the solutions and take empowered action, however small! The world is asking us to find and shine a light, however small, through our own examples. When we do this together and in support of one another is where we can make a difference and build a healthier planet for future generations.”
Under Korevaar’s leadership, ChangeMakersHub has spearheaded transformative initiatives through its flagship ‘EcoChangeMakers Programme’, that addresses plastic waste leakage, fosters climate literacy, and empowers communities to take meaningful action. Activities such as youth challenges, non-recyclable waste repurposing, and the creation of EcoBricks all showcase the organisation’s innovative and inclusive approach to environmental action and change. This programme has gained both global and local recognition for its impact, including Korevaar being awarded the ‘South Africa’s Woman Leaders’ title at the 2024 South African Leadership Awards.
In the face of her recent health challenges, Korevaar, who remains an active voice in the organisation’s work, emphasised her gratitude for ChangeMakersHub’s strong leadership team, whose unwavering commitment ensures that the organisation’s mission will continue. “Our leadership team is the heart of ChangeMakersHub, and I am deeply reassured by their expertise, passion, and grit. Together, we will continue to inspire communities to act boldly and inclusively to protect our planet, proving that small actions, when multiplied, can lead to monumental change. Under the leadership of this dynamic team, ChangeMakersHub is well-positioned to scale its efforts, collaborate with governments, businesses, and communities to tackle plastic pollution and empower individuals as agents of change.”
We are grateful for support from Impact Partners, such as Stellenbosch Business School (SBS). By leading through example, sharing their resources and network with us and most importantly through their Responsible Leadership ethos, SBS supports us in helping to transform our mission into reality.
In addition to reaffirming the organisation’s goals, Korevaar also announced the launch of EcoChangeMakers ‘Have a Heart’ Campaign in honour of ‘International Environment Education Day’ – celebrated globally each year to raise awareness on environmental issues, promote sustainability and encourage people to act.
The EcoChangeMakers ‘Have a Heart’ initiative is a pivotal shift in the sustainability model of the charity while making the opportunity to make meaningful climate action inclusive and accessible in everyday life. Proceeds go directly to empowering communities to learn how to retrieve, redirect and repurpose harmful plastic waste across South Africa.
Each heart, a powerful heart-shaped metal structure, is designed to collect harmful plastic bottle tops, thereby keeping it out of our precious oceans. By sponsoring a Heart, you enable us to do our work at a far greater scale and impact reports are measurable to how much plastic waste is contained and repurposed away from the environment while supporting education and creating job opportunities.
Each year, approximately 3.5 billion plastic bottle tops enter South Africa’s waste stream, with only 10-15% being recycled. The impact of this is catastrophic. Plastic Bottle tops made from HDPE take 450 years to decompose and are amongst the top five most detrimental plastics leaking into our ocean. A staggering 50–60 million marine animal deaths are projected over the next five years due to entanglement and ingestion. The long-term impact of plastic pollution on our marine environments have profound, cascading and devastating effects to human health, economies, and the climate.
“Each heart represents a commitment to change and is a visible symbol of hope and collective progress,” Korevaar said. “It reminds us that no act is too small to create a ripple effect of positive impact.”
As Korevaar embarks on a the next steps of her own personal healing journey, her wish is be an advocate to raise awareness about Essential Thrombocythemia and inspire others to see challenges rather as opportunities for resilience and advocacy.
To get involved and join Korevaar and her team in their fight and to make a real difference, thereby growing the ripple effect of possibility, please send an email to startaripple@changemakershub.org.
To stay informed on how you can be an EcoChangeMaker in your daily life, and to learn of other ways in which you can be involved and offer your support, please sign up to the ChangeMakersHub newsletter.
#HaveaHeart #ChangeMakersHub #EcoChangeMakers