The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...

“Develop your resilience,” they say. This is far easier said than done, I say. 

Like many big life lessons, resilience is a thing we learn during times of stress.   

But for an intangible concept like resilience to take root, I first needed to understand it…  

I now think of resilience in the simplest words: “to bounce back”. But what isn’t discussed enough is how to bounce back – how to build our resilience and become stronger… 

This is an inspired piece of long-form writing. It’s personal, communal and universal. Come on a journey with me… (But if you want to stop here: the magic ingredient to develop our resilience – and climate resilience – is intentional connections, so we can bounce back stronger!)

If connections count to build our own resilience, what might the climate have to do with this? Way more than we realise.  

Developing our resilience is about prioritising self-care through rest, sleep, good nutrition and exercise (and a good massage too), while building a positive mindset, practising problem-solving, and nurturing healthy relationships and connections. Things that build us up! 

Climate resilience grows when healthy, connected ecosystems and positive actions support Earth’s systems in bouncing back from everything a (human-caused) warming world throws at us. Things that give back to the land and sea, so nature can bounce back and thrive.

November 2025 marks the start of the global climate negotiations – COP30 – in Belém, Brazil. This meeting at the mouth of the Amazon River calls for resilience of mind, body and spirit, and connected action from global representatives. It’s a decade since the 2015 Paris Agreement. The resilience of global commitment has been weak, and the climate cracks are showing. 

We need to see commitments – and, importantly, actions – that prioritise the best care for the planet, invest in nature-positive outcomes (through good relationships and partnerships) and apply problem-solving that accelerates positively compounded climate action. 

From global climate meetings to local action, we can all be part of a well-connected village. 

In the heart of one of Cape Town’s townships, a multi-purpose “village” in a vibrant community shows what is possible when people come together to create a safe, inspiring place to grow. 

And one woman’s story in this growing village shows why following your passion is so vital.  

Esethu Mbooi is from Flagstaff in the rolling hills of the Eastern Cape. She moved to Philippi when she was much younger. Her early career began as an accountant at Boschendal Wine Farm in Franschhoek. But Esethu’s passion kicked in when one of the resident gardeners was giving a talk to the Boschendal team about what they grow on the farm. The gardener let them all plant a seed, and for Esethu, it was the first seed she’d ever planted, a tiny cucumber seed…  

On that day, Esethu discovered her purpose: working outside in a garden was what she really wanted to do. She calls it her “cucumber seed moment”! 

While spending time with Esethu, I admired her gentleness and her bold surety about her path. She wants to share her knowledge with others in the communities she grew up in, not just to grow food, but to grow possibilities.

Not long after, through one of Esethu’s connections at Boschendal, she was told about a garden project at a dynamic space called Philippi Village in the densely populated Philippi. 

Close to the Cape Town International Airport, Philippi has become known for a few things. Crime is one. Fresh produce another. The fertile Philippi Horticultural Area sits atop an aquifer, farmed by small-scale farmers and often called the vegetable basket of Cape Town. 

Philippi should be known for the amazing, open-to-the-public Philippi Village. It is a “breathing space” – a beacon of hope and creativity amid an overcrowded township.

Esethu joined Philippi Village in 2022. Her role as the “Green Guardian” is to continue to “green” the land around the refurbished building that was once a cement factory. The abandoned structural skeleton was transformed into an entrepreneurial hub of activity, launched in September 2015.  

It is a special village designed with the community’s needs at its centre. To reimagine the once-abandoned space, the Philippi Village team did a community mapping exercise from 2019 to 2022. People shared that they wanted more greenery, safe walking paths and shaded areas. 

A decade after its launch, Philippi Village is a blueprint for transformative change, with the community at its heart. This demonstrates lived resilience – it has bounced back stronger. 

Today, it has many well-known tenants, including the City of Cape Town’s Crossroads Library, the Desmond Tutu Foundation’s HIV testing and counselling centre, the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business and Western Cape Government services. Smaller businesses abound, too: a recording studio, a coffee shop inside a shipping container and many converted containers that community members can rent to run their own businesses. 

The gates of Phillippi Village are open to all. Anyone can come and go. And the local police are often seen around the village, coming to get their free coffee at Phunga Cafe, which creates a sense of safety and connection, rather than fear, amongst the tenants and the community.

In 2021, during Women’s Month, three giant sculptures were made of natural materials. “Thembis”, Esethu called them. Daughter Thembi, Mama Thembi and Gogo Thembi. They represent one woman in three stages of her life. Thembi is an isiXhosa word meaning “promise” or “to give hope”. They are the garden's guardians. They represent strength, care and the promise of regeneration. Each one is made with a circular frame to encourage the upward growth of the plants below; creepers growing onto their structured skirts.  

In time, they hope that the three Thembis will be visible from the sky as planes pass overhead.

Esethu also trialled veggie gardens at Phillippi Village. The high water table can cause havoc, so she also tried vertical rooftop gardening. The fresh produce is used in a local soup kitchen. 

For biodiversity expertise, Esethu brought in the environmental organisation Greenpop to advise on greening the area. Greenpop proposed a “biodiversity garden” and has since brought in various organisations to fund this, while spending fab team-building days at Philippi Village.  

It’s rewarding to get your hands dirty, dig holes and be part of the solution. And, on a workday!

WWF did this for Mandela Day 2025. From a village tour with Esethu to team-building and garden-planting fun with Greenpop, this magical experience embodied the meaning behind “it takes a village”. The unfolding of Philippi Village is phenomenal. Hearing Esethu’s journey was powerful. How she has followed her path is inspirational. And what Greenpop do is invigorating! 

For me, that day was also a full-circle moment. I’d been at the same school with Misha Teasdale, one of the Greenpop founders. A decade ago, I’d also volunteered at TEDXCapeTown with Misha’s now-wife. And now, there Misha and I were, digging a hole together to plant a milkwood tree (his wife’s fave) and sharing about our young families – the next generation.  

Greenpop are doing amazing work well beyond what I originally knew. They do so much more than tree planting! They consult on appropriate approaches to building climate resilience. This is through multi-country initiatives, stakeholder engagements and landscape design to accommodate community needs. They have the technical knowledge of plants and hydrology, from creating food gardens and medicinal gardens to installing irrigation systems. Plus the creative skills to unite people, run festivals, create artworks and develop learning materials. 

Misha explained to the whole group why they’d chosen the variety of succulents and Cape Flats fynbos we were planting at Philippi Village. All are well-suited to the local conditions and they address two big local challenges: the invasive shot-hole borer beetle and climate change. 

That whole day was golden. I was reminded wholeheartedly why I love the teams I’ve worked with for many years and why the work we do is so important. A team-building day created human connections that don’t grow from emails, meetings or project plans. We laughed together and breathed the air. 

The satisfaction, too, of being part of a future solution – to green a part of Cape Town and contribute to a better climate – brought a deep joy of being part of something bigger.

Our resilience often develops as we face the toughest times. Much like a tree that is quietly growing over the years, despite drought or flood, it forms its underground root connections. What we see are the fresh shoots and falling leaves. But resilience is what grows underneath. 

For most of WWF’s projects, the implementation road is long. The time and design effort are upstream, and the downstream outcomes are far from sight. In time, concepts take root, connections and relationships grow, and resilience helps to close gaps. And then, as if by magic, after a good few seasons, people and nature can reap the benefits. Shade. Food. Forests. Connected ecosystems and communities. 

It is said that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. And the second-best time is now! The same goes for the actions required for climate resilience. And the same in our personal lives. 

We must plant our proverbial trees and grow our connected villages to develop our resilience. 

Resilience is revealed in the tough times, when we really need to bounce back stronger, faced with life’s unexpected equivalents of floods, drought and high winds. The time we spent then, planting, watering, growing and connecting makes us stronger now. This is how we bounce back. And that’s when I’ve been most grateful for the many amazing connections in my village.   

I hope there is magic in the meetings in the Amazon as the world leaders connect in Brazil to discuss our global village. May they find inspiration and make connections to take bold action!