Gift Mpho Dialwe

In South Africa’s rural areas, seven out of ten households purchase more than one sack of maize meal each month. The packaging for the staple is typically made of high-density polypropylene or polyethylene, both of which decompose slowly and have negative environmental and animal health effects. Gift, a young change-maker with a sewing machine and heaps of ideas, wants people to stop throwing these sacks away, and send them his way instead. With his project, Veish, the stylish backpacks he transforms the packaging into aren’t just practical for carrying your study materials or shopping. The upcycled product also includes nifty technical features, such as solar-powered LED lights, for reading at night or during a power outage, and an outlet for charging other electronic items. Implementing his solution, Gift hopes will educate, employ, and empower his fellow locals.