Hello and High my lovely blogees!
Welcome to Women in Cannabis Wednesdays! This week’s #WCW is the Director of the RSDA and cannabis cultivator, Mampho Thulo! She grows medical cannabis in her home village of Mapoteng, Lesotho. In 2017, the South African country was the first to legalize medical cannabis cultivation.
With a family of five to provide for, Thulo uses her cultivation business to not only make money, but to educate her community. She’s the Director of RSDA, Rural Self-Help Development Association, which helps impoverished people learn to use agriculture to become self-sustainable. Established in 1991, the organization works with local farmers to provide resources and also has programs for orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS, to name a few.
Cannabis wise, she faces extreme competition, and it isn’t from the medical side. South Africa has held a bustling illegal recreational cannabis market for decades. Additionally, like many cannabis farmers, she cannot afford the cost of legally growing the type of cannabis that is legal to grow. Isn’t it ironic.
Queen Mampho, we honor and appreciate you! The fight for equity and diversity in cannabis is not just in the United States!
To donate to Tholo’s mission, please email her at thulom@rsda.org
Make sure to visit the RSDA website, where you can get more information on her programs and get involved!
