How a local woman is changing lives, one documentary at a time!

How a local woman is changing lives, one documentary at a time!

In her latest work, The Harvest, Yakima Waner is highlighting the lives of the women pickers who harvest trash in landfills for survival, in Ekurhuleni South Africa. 

Yakima Waner
Supplied : Yakima Waner

If you live in Ekhuruleni, you probably have a very solid opinion of what you think these pickers do, who they are and how they live. 

Yakima is going to change the way you look at them, completely! In her brand new documentary she aims to change the narrative from one of distrust and negativity to one that paints a human picture of the women and their families struggling to survive in Plastic City.

Also read : Meet the 90 year old Granny who travels the world!

The Harvest
Supplied : Yakima Waner

The Harvest begins shooting this month, in the heart of Plastic City, Ekhuruleni, and will take up to 6 months of filming and 3 months of editing and will hopefully to be released by March 18 2019, Global Recycle Day. She is hoping to show you that we are all human, we all have the same goals and dreams and we all deserve to live in a space that allows us to thrive.

The Harvest
Supplied : Yakima Waner

Yakima spoke to me about the pickers, their families and the positive impact they are having on our environment! 

Also listen to : Meet the man who ran the Two Oceans Marathon - on crutches!

The Harvest
Supplied : Yakima Waner

In her own words, Yakima explains the why behind this documentary, saying: "I  believe in taking on stories that I feel can really make a social impression of change and hope in society today, opposed to recreating negativity that we already know exists. I feel the most powerful engine of social and environmental improvement are children, as they still own a very pure sense of truth. This community of women and children deserve agency, and I believe this film will create it. Even if we change one souls life, it was worth it." 


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