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[title]In Cape Town, climate justice isn’t a distant crisis; for many, it’s a daily reality.
Especially for young girls growing up in townships and informal settlements along the Cape Flats, such as Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, or Lavender Hill.
It looks like walking for water, bracing for winter floods that you know are inevitable, or navigating unsafe streets, to get to school.
That’s the reality Xoli Fuyani is determined to shift.
As the founder of Black Girl Rising, a grassroots NPO empowering young girls to lead on climate justice, she’s building a movement rooted in storytelling, mentorship, and practical action.
From food gardens that feed families to girls standing up in Parliament and voicing their concerns, her work proves what happens when you put the mic (and the power) in the hands of those most affected.
This Women’s Month, we're showcasing female changemakers using their power for good. In this Q&A, we celebrate Fuyani as she shares why representation matters, what keeps her going, and how she's mentoring these brave girls to rewrite the future.
Time Out: What sparked the creation of Black Girl Rising?
Xoli Fuyani: I grew up in Gugulethu, and even as a kid, I saw the disparities in Cape Town. Driving from Khayelitsha into Sea Point, you see the difference immediately: access to green spaces, running water, safe streets.
My career has always been in the environmental education and policy space. And early on, I realised that those lived realities of marginalised communities were not reflected as a priority in decision-making.
I wanted to create something that gives these girls a voice to share their experiences with climate change, while also building their leadership so they can drive climate solutions and build resilience in their own communities.
Your background is in the environmental sector. How did that shape this work?
Xoli Fuyani: I’ve spent over a decade in environmental education, including designing a waste management programme that’s now taught in primary schools.
It used worm farms as teaching tools - kids treated the worms like pets in the classrooms, feeding them organic waste from home and learning how food systems and care for the planet intersect. They grew their own food and were able to take the harvest home.
We wanted to make it fun, experiential, and hands-on - and I'm very proud that this programme still runs today as part of the Earth Child Project in communities in Lavender Hill and Khayelitsha.
But I also saw how climate education was often fear-based. 'The ozone layer is collapsing, the world is ending.'
I wanted to shift it to something accessible, practical, and empowering.
When did mentoring girls directly become central to your journey?
Xoli Fuyani: I was appointed to organise the first youth climate strike in Cape Town. I worked with girls from Khayelitsha and presented a proposal to them, saying, 'Do you want to help organise this?'
One girl, Yola, who was 10 back then, stood up to speak, saying: “I'm already living the future that many people fear as the impact of climate change. It isn’t the future. I’m already living it. I fetch water from a communal tap, I have no access to sanitation, we live in poverty, and my community floods every winter.”
Her words were so powerful. She became a sensation, and I found myself mentoring her. From there, I noticed that when we attend conferences like COP or Climate Week, there are not many young people from these communities. I also saw how they were tokenised in climate spaces. That pushed me to design Black Girl Rising as a long-term, meaningful support system.
What does the programme look like today?
Xoli Fuyani: We run two main initiatives: The Incubator in Cape Town, a five-year programme working with 65 girls aged 12 to 18 across five communities.
We start with self-development and trauma support, then move into leadership and advocacy. Each girl chooses a focus area, such as climate justice, energy and clean air, women and water issues, or pure poverty, and recruits younger girls between the ages of 9 and 11. These “Brave Girls” become part of their club, where they champion and mentor these girls.
The Accelerator, which supports girls across South Africa and three other African countries who are already running climate projects. We provide mentorship, resources, and networks to help them scale their impact.
We’re on our second cycle of this programme, and it's going amazingly well. We have one girl who has gone on to set up a food garden and supply vegetables to soup kitchens, as well as her first restaurant client.
The realities your girls face are tough. What are some things you want people to understand?
Xoli Fuyani: In 2025, the reality is that most of these kids growing up in townships are not exposed to a lot. Each year, we would conduct an application process and ask the kids if they had ever left their community, and 90% of them would say no.
Many 12-year-olds in Cape Town still walk two kilometres to fetch water, risking assault along the way.
These conditions affect education, safety, and mental health. Climate change isn’t abstract here - it collides with poverty, gender-based violence, and systemic inequality.
How do you sustain an organisation like this?
Xoli Fuyani: You have to diversify. We can’t rely on just corporate funding. Currently, we're considering a model that matches our 65 girls with 65 women leaders who can fund and mentor them, thereby creating a pathway of support.
At the end of the year, we celebrate the girls with a gala dinner, and we'll be able to invite those mentors to connect with them. It’s about building a visible lineage of resilient black women leaders.
And how do you sustain yourself in this work?
Xoli Fuyani: I’m surrounded by an incredible network of women who uplift me and open doors for me.
Recently, I was invited to speak at the P20 Women in Parliament event about climate and gender issues. The experience was such an affirmation that women do support each other. And like Busi Jama, who gives of her time even though we don't pay her, and many others want to help.
Personally, I recharge in nature - hiking in Cecilia Forest and swimming at Dale Brook's tidal pool. Sundays are sacred: slow mornings, books, no obligations. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and I take that seriously.
What message would you share with young girls who might not make it into your limited programme?
Xoli Fuyani: That their dreams are valid. That they mustn’t limit themselves to their circumstances. The world is theirs, and there are spaces and people out there ready to support them. Black Girl Rising is just one of many. Stay curious, use your voice, and know you can lead.
To get in touch with Xoli Fuyani email info@blackgirlsrising.org.za or visit Black Girl Rising to find out more.
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