Gallery
Project overview
A documentation and strategic support initiative for the Orange Farm project in Johannesburg, which transformed electronic waste into handcrafted jewelry to fund a local children’s technology center.
This experiment embodied a circular economy model that connected environmental responsibility with social empowerment, turning discarded electronics into both aesthetic objects and educational resources.
By supporting a locally rooted initiative rather than imposing an external solution, the project revealed how regenerative practices can naturally emerge from communities directly experiencing the problem.
Achieved results
Before pandemic-related interruption, the initiative successfully established a clear documentation of its upcycling methodology, showcasing how computer components could be reimagined as desirable, wearable objects.
The strategic support helped position the project for potential scaling and wider visibility. The early-stage collaboration demonstrated a compelling proof of concept for a circular model that simultaneously addressed waste reduction, livelihood creation, and youth access to technology.
Main reflection
This experience revealed the profound potential of grassroots innovation to generate holistic solutions across environmental, economic, and educational dimensions.
What was once seen as toxic debris became a medium of creativity, income, and learning, transforming material waste into symbolic and practical value.
Although the pandemic forced the initiative into temporary dormancy, its core logic remained powerful: circular thinking can convert linear problems into regenerative systems.
The project’s dual mission giving electronic components a “second life” while creating second chances for children through technological education highlighted how material regeneration and social equity can be deeply interconnected.
This experiment reaffirmed my belief that the most resilient solutions arise not from top-down strategies, but from empowering communities to transform their own realities through creativity, care, and resourcefulness.