Catherine Constantinides’ life is filled with experiences that could easily fill the pages of a book. Meeting her it is clear it won’t be easy to capture the essence of who she is in an article. She has made her mark not only locally but abroad, fighting for human rights, being the voice for the voiceless and protector of the planet.
Catherine, executive director and founder of Miss Earth South Africa, is a humanitarian, earth warrior and nation builder. These three things are the pillars of who she is and what she does.
‘Everything I embark on has to answer one of three questions – does it work toward building the country, toward social justice and human rights and does it lean toward building that space? Everything I do has to link back to the environment,’ said Catherine.
From starting her own events and branding business with her sister at the age of 16 to fighting for the human rights of refugees, every part of who she is journeys towards making planet Earth a better place for all.
Early years
She grew up in Ridgeway and went to Mondeor Primary School and Mondeor High School.
‘My school years were definitely the years moulding me into who I am,’ said Catherine. She described her high school journey as wonderful and a time when she tried many things, failed at a lot but learnt important lessons.
Her humanitarian and activism work already began when she was at school.
Growing up, she would tag along with her dad to go play bingo with the elderly at Reuven Senior Centre and Bellavista Retirement Village. ‘My mom and dad would share those experiences with us and I grew up thinking that’s what everybody did.’
It took her a while to realise that it is not what everybody does. ‘This experience became instrumental in who my sister and I became as people.’
‘I’ve always been conscious about what’s happening around me. I grew up in a liberal home where my parents would bring home the newspaper and share the news with us. We had friends from outer-lying areas, being from the south of Johannesburg, and I started having a very different social consciousness. I am grateful for the kind of social awareness I had because of where I come from and because of the school I went to.’
The little garden
‘We had a beautiful little garden and it was important to me. As I grew older I didn’t know I would do climate activism work and that little garden was a small insight into what the world was like.’
Her father would share so much about the garden with her and her siblings. She was taught at a young age how to grow things and learnt about every part of the garden; from the leaves, to the grass, to the stem. Instilled within her was that she is a custodian of that garden and in turn a custodian of the earth.
‘I remember my father would share stories about fairies and other little creatures in the garden and I would search for them, and at night there were glow worms.
“The stories he shared made it a beautiful and magical place. I grew up and the notion of looking after that garden became the notion of how I should look after the earth and how I can start protecting the earth. It was an organic journey.
‘Environmental consciousness is what I do and everything we do has to link back to the environment. I think we, as people, have disconnected ourselves from the environment and we think only bunny huggers and tree huggers should look after the environment. Yet, we don’t understand that even a lovely cup of coffee that we enjoy came from a farmer who is affected by climate change. We need to drive different awareness around the environment and climate change,’ said the green activist.
Climate change has taken centre stage globally and it’s something Catherine has fought for, for the last 15 to 20 years of her life.
Travelling along with her voice
She loves travelling, however through her work as an activist, she does not travel to normal travel destinations. ‘I get to see parts of the world that no one will normally go to, which is a wonderful thing. Travelling opens your mind and allows you access to cultures, traditions and people in a different way,’ she said.
The thriving activist has spent much time over the last 10 years at a refugee camp in North Africa where she works as a human rights defender.
One of the most important things for her is being able to give her voice to advocate for the human rights of the people of Western Sahara.
‘It is very important for me to do all I can to fight for the human rights of these people and to get them to return home to Western Sahara. I have promised the refugee children that they will return home,’ said Catherine.
Four times a year, she works at the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the last few years, she has worked in very remote places such as Syria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kashmir and Pakistan – these are places people won’t visit as a tourist.
‘These are places people would only write about or see in a movie and I feel the experience I’ve had being a human rights defender and humanitarian is far greater because I have a broad understanding – not based on something I’ve read or something I’ve seen or studied, but because of my lived experience.’
Her home, South Africa
Apart from the work she does abroad, there are projects she runs in South Africa. The projects stretch from Orange Farm across to the south and east of Johannesburg.
‘We’ve spent much of our time, on the ground with these communities, understanding their circumstances and needs. During Covid-19, we did a lot of feeding in communities due to the lack of access to food. We realised working through the Miss Earth programme, there were communities where people were starving.’
Along with her team, Catherine is working in schools, believing that the only way to change the country is not every four years when there is an election, but on a daily basis, by understanding the needs of the people and finding solutions which will have a lasting impact on communities.
‘Being on the ground and listening is a fundamental part of my work.’
Miss Earth South Africa
Around the same time, Catherine finished high school, the International Miss Earth started and it was operated from the international office. ‘I was the first Miss Earth South Africa. After I had gone to the international event, I realised I wanted to be able to bring this pageant back to South Africa and build it in South Africa.
‘Miss Earth South Africa started in 2001 and I wanted it to be the blueprint of what was possible in building a leadership programme for women. Firstly, it was difficult because nobody in the Southern Hemisphere was championing climate change (the term used at the time was global warming). At the time we were fighting HIV and Aids which was a huge social issue and nobody wanted to fund planting trees or doing environmental projects.
‘During Covid-19, the Miss Earth and environmental projects were shut off completely but the communities needed us, so we independently worked so as to be able to feed communities. Two years ago, we started a foundation, Merchants of Light, and the foundation purely does humanitarian work and emergency aid.’
After tapping into these memories and realities of her life, you soon realise that this must be the reason she always has a notebook and pen and never travels without a pair of gumboots.
It is not just because the opportunity to plant a tree may arise, but also because she never knows where her next stop will be.
If you want to keep track of Catherine’s projects or get involved follow @ChangeAgentSA
Off the cuff:
- Sunshine vs rain?
Both
- Do you prefer art, food or travel?
Travel, eat well and embrace the expression of art
- What are your guilty pleasures?
Cars and foot massages
- Your ultimate spoil?
Time with my child and family
- Things you always have with you?
Three Dior lip-glosses, notebook, drawstring bag with a cross, bubblegum, pens, battery pack
- Wardrobe must-haves?
A pair of great black heels. Alongside that, never leave home without gumboots
- Your favourite hangout spots?
Hair: Franco International at Village View and Eastgate
Skin: My favourite Hydro Touch Facial is a monthly must at Skin Renewal at Village View
Nails: Crema Beauty in Modderfontein
Favourite Place: George’s Grillhouse in Bedford Centre and at the Neighbourhood
- The motto you live by?
‘No man makes a greater mistake than somebody who does nothing because they can only do a little.’ – Edmund Burke
- If you had R10m what would you do?
I would take care of children from early childhood development through to tertiary education, focusing on their academic and physical well-being, while ensuring that their mental health is nurtured alongside.
Text: DESNAY PETERSON. Photo: The Satar Sisters Photography. Hair: Franco International Village View. Make Up: Dior.
