Latest news with #BnB
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Forty graduates turn conservation training into economic opportunity
Forty youths and women received certificates on Thursday in Bloemfontein for completing a community-based training programme hosted by Meals on Wheels in partnership with SANParks as part of a growing initiative to tackle youth unemployment, food insecurity and economic inequality in South Africa. The training focused on agriculture, food preservation, leather and beauty product manufacturing, supported by the government and private sector partners. It aims to equip vulnerable community members with hands-on skills to start their own businesses and build self-sufficiency. Seiso Mohai, deputy minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, applauded the graduates for embracing an opportunity that links conservation with job creation. 'We must begin to see agriculture and biodiversity not only as tools for survival but as platforms for innovation and growth. What we are witnessing today is not just a graduation but a shift in how we build resilience in our rural communities,' said Mohai. Skumsa Nthanga, SANParks head of socioeconomic transformation and Vision 2040 project lead, told TimesLIVE that the programme's purpose is to empower communities, especially those near biodiversity-rich landscapes, to reclaim their heritage through sustainable economic activity. 'We want to see beneficiaries establish and run their own enterprises. Our national parks are in remote areas with limited job opportunities. This programme is about closing that gap,' she added. One of the graduates, Thulisa Mnqabisa from Nomathamsanqa, said she closed her beauty salon to join the training. 'I wanted to learn how to develop my own beauty products and eventually use them in my salon,' she said. Mnqabisa told TimesLIVE that she now plans to manufacture and distribute her beauty products to BnB houses and hotels. 'The knowledge I got here will help me employ others in my community. That's the dream.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Estill County bed and breakfast recovering from high waters that impacted farmland
ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — Just off of Red Lick Road lies Station Camp Getaway. The Estill County bed and breakfast welcomes hikers, bird watchers, horse race goers, and so on. Visitors get to enjoy nice scenery, looking out toward the farm. 'We have very few animals and so they're like part of our family; they're pets; we groom them every day,' Randall Arms said. Randall and his wife, Nurys, own the BnB. They have Thoroughbreds, Suffolk Punch Horses, and even Highland Cattle, but it's when heavy rain comes in that the fields the animals reside in turn into ponds. Estill County bed and breakfast recovering from high waters that impacted farmland Jessamine County signs disaster declaration; floodwaters destroy homes Body pulled from floodwaters identified as Butler man The couple are not strangers to rainfall; they lived several years in Panama. 'I lived in Panama for 17 years, in the highlands of Panama and also in the lowlands, which are wetlands; they have 140in of rain a year, which is much more than we have anyplace here in the United States, so we were accustomed to seeing a lot of rain but not flooding,' Randall said. They bought the property four years ago, and just a week later, a flood came through. This year, they've already seen two major floods; about 80% of the 58-acre property was overtaken by water over the weekend, causing some of the animals to be moved up to higher ground. Read more of the latest Kentucky news 'But the ones that suffered the most were the two Suffolk Punch horses; they were reduced to a real small area because the flood was basically coming up their fields,' Randall said. Thankfully, with the way the home sits, water is less likely to get inside, but that isn't the case for some of their neighbors. Just a few miles down the road, it is impassable, with feet of water still flowing over it. Randall said he knows his family is fortunate but hopes those who are dealing with more of an impact from the flooding get the help they need. 'I'm 74 years old; if I were to, you know, lose my entire house at this age, I can't imagine starting all over again, and people are going through those types of hardships.' Randall said, 'So, hopefully, there's enough empathy in the communities as well as in the government to try to look for solutions for those people that are under those circumstances.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
