Although the recent SONA and Budget Speech may not have provided many South Africans with a hopeful outlook for 2024 and beyond – it has sparked a new campaign by the female led and proudly South African Wonderbag team that is set to launch on Wednesday, 6th of March 2024 and aptly coincides with International Women’s Day.
According to Wonderbag Founder and CEO, Sarah Collins, the purpose of this new campaign and offering of R250 for a large Wonderbag without delivery, is to try alleviate the growing pressures of loadshedding and the cost of living crisis that South Africans are facing on a daily basis.
“The recent SONA and budget speech delivered by our government painted a very gloomy picture for South Africans. That’s why we have decided from March onwards we will ensure that Wonderbags are available to all South Africans at an affordable price on our specially created www.mywonderbag.co.za platform. We know that the price of everything is going up steeply, however, we will continue to find ways to keep the Wonderbag in reach of all South Africans and people across the globe. The initiative launching this week is for a limited time only and we have set aside limited stock to control costings for the next six weeks. Every Wonderbag sold helps our global initiatives to support people who need it the most,” explains Collins.
The Wonderbag is based on age-old heat retention cooking and once a pot is brought to the boil and placed into a Wonderbag, it can keep cooking without any additional fuel sources for up to 12 hours.
The Wonderbag’s simple yet effective design provides a reliable and sustainable cooking alternative during loadshedding, but ultimately it reduces electricity usage and one’s carbon footprint.
Research shows that people who regularly use their Wonderbag for cooking can cut cooking fuel costs by up to 70%. Furthermore, by using just one Wonderbag over a year, individuals can reduce up to 1.5 tons of carbon emissions annually, mitigate indoor air pollution by up to 60% for households using wood, prevent the felling of five trees per year, and save over 1000 liters of water annually.
Collins adds, “We believe by making our Wonderbags even more affordable, we can help thousands of South Africans save time and money through the energy savings and innovative heat retention cooking properties of this simple but revolutionary product”.
Wonderbags have a history of bringing together communities and fellowship on behalf of South Africa for men, women and children. In fact, beyond South Africa’s borders the likes of Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Syria, Ukraine and now Gaza – all have something in common.
Apart from the humanitarian crisis that has befallen these countries, innovation through the Wonderbag to feed not only people’s stomachs but their souls with culturally appropriate meals has provided a flicker of hope to so many displaced communities seeking refuge in these regions.
“Our mission has always been strictly humanitarian, non-racial, and non-political, with a focus on feeding people, upholding dignity, and championing global freedom of choice. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and I am incredibly grateful for the partners we are working with within Gaza which includes community leaders, volunteers, World Central Kitchen and others that are helping us to support starving and displaced civilians”, says Collins.