Breaking barriers for young women: Forestry sector launches Mentor Me Initiative
AUGUST 28, 2025 – She Is Forestry South Africa and Forestry South Africa (FSA) have launched the Mentor Me Initiative, a five-year programme designed to breaking down barriers that hold women back from leadership in the forestry sector.
Building on five years of elevating women’s voices in a male-dominated industry, Mentor Me creates around-the-clock access to female mentors and personal growth resources. “It is designed for women, by women,” says Khosi Mavimbela, executive director of the Forest Sector Charter Council and director of She Is Forestry.
“The women we have spoken to cite lack of confidence, limited experience and inflexibility due to family responsibilities as the biggest barriers to advancing their careers,” explains Mavimbela. “The Mentor Me Initiative offers women the mentorship, growth tools and inspirational role models they need.” She adds that these tools would be accessible anytime, anywhere to help women step into leadership roles with courage and conviction.”
At the heart of the programme are powerful, on-demand Mentor Me talks from leading female voices in forestry and beyond. The first of these were filmed during the annual She Is Forestry webinar, with the line-up including:
- Nelly Ndlovu, CEO of Mondi Zimele – Resilience and Grit: Stories and Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles and Maintaining Motivation
- Itumeleng Langeni, MTO Group chief stakeholder relations officer – Navigating Gender Bias
- Hlengiwe Msibi, divisional environmental manager at Sappi – Mentorship and Sponsorship: The Distinction Between the Two and How to Seek Out Both in the Workplace
- Amy Djamaluddin, founder of jamjama marketing – Lessons Leart: Moving from a Blue-Chip Corporate to a Small Business
- Jacqui Meyer, life coach – Mentor Me Through Burnout
- Crystal Daniels, counselling psychologist – Communication: Why it Really Matters
Available on the She Is Forestry website, these talks are part of a growing collection that will evolve into a one-stop mentoring hub. It will feature personal development toolkits, book reviews tailored for busy women, and practical strategies for career growth. “We also have 10 videos featuring women who have overcome common barriers to find the place in the forestry sector,” noted Mavimbela. “The original purpose for these videos was to open the eyes of rural school children, using testimonies by women they can relate to.”
The programme is already making an impact for the likes Eutricia Nkuna, a research assistant at the FSCC. “Being at the start of my career, I would never have had access to these women and the wisdom they shared. It has been inspiring, practical and transformational.”
Pamela Naidoo, executive director of the Forestry and Agricultural Training Organisation, added, “She Is Forestry has always championed women in forestry. Now, with Mentor Me, they are not just acknowledging women — they are actively shaping the future of the sector.”
