April 2023 - Lowveld

Dish covers by Earthling Sa
one that did wonders for his health,
but also inspired them to live a
more sustainable and eco-conscious
lifestyle. “We couldn’t help but notice
all the plastic packaging and wasteful
products, and the impact they had on
the natural world around us,” explains
Jolandie. “We loved the idea that our
business concept would be sustainable
and less harmful to the environment.”
While all of this was going on, they
were still working on their non-profit.
They found and bought Betsy, an
old fire department rescue truck,
to convert into a home on wheels.
“The plan was to build our business
around the idea that we could earn
a living at markets, while doing our
non-profit work on the road,” explains
Jolandie. “We also came across the
idea of running the truck on a more
sustainable fuel type, and started the
process of converting Betsy to run
on used cooking oil (it took us a long
time to get that right!). It’s a timeconsuming
project, and it definitely
ready to hit the road!
16 Get It Lowveld April 2023
breaks the bank. But, all the blood
and sweat that go into it make it
worthwhile when you are building a
house that can go anywhere!’”
Finally, after two years, Robin was free
to return to Mbombela, but as life
would have it, a national lockdown
was announced. His father had also
just been diagnosed with cancer, so
they raced back (at 65km/h, he laughs),
trying desperately to get home. Covid
made the couple realise they had to
broaden their range of products. “Our
jewellery was a luxury item, and folks
were trying to hold on to their money,”
he says. “We added locally made,
sustainable alternative products to our
range, and survived by selling at the
local markets. And Earthling SA was
born. We were thrilled that we could
reinvent our income to suit our ecoconscious
lifestyle. In the meantime,
it was still full steam ahead with the
restoration of our ‘house on wheels’,
but now the scope of the journey had
expanded.”
Meanwhile, Robin was asked to be
the support group’s contact person
for families in South Africa affected
by Fanconi anaemia. Through this he
noticed how many children and young
adults needed transplants, and were
still without matches. Sadly, often one
would pass away as a result of not
finding a match. He decided to put
together a stem cell donor recruitment
drive in Mbombela, signing up as
many people as possible from the
local community. “The purpose of
our journey now became intensely
apparent; our mission was to find
matches for people who were given
the same fate as me, and a chance at
life,” he says. “Matches on the Map was
founded and we started working on
the project night and day.”
With Earthling SA now being quite
well established at the local markets,
the couple can put the finishing
touches to their plans for the future.
Robin explains that both the business
and the mission have been far more
challenging than originally expected,
and has now developed into a
10-year/60-country expedition. “We
plan on leaving Mbombela soon, and
will set off towards eSwatini, KwaZulu-
Natal, around the SA coast down to
Cape Town,” he says, “making our way
towards Namibia. Our journey will
take us through East and West Africa,
Europe, over the Himalayas, and
through the jungles of Cambodia. Our
60th country is Vietnam. Our ultimate
goal is to create awareness about the
importance of becoming a stem cell
donor and to add donor diversity to
the registry.”
Living every moment as if it may be
the last does have certain benefits.
Not letting a day go to waste and
seeing the true beauty of life in full
technicolour detail is just a small part
of it. While some days can be tough,
there are others that make everything
worthwhile. Together, this remarkable
couple will continue to pack as much
as they can into every day and live
like there’s no tomorrow ... and if
they happen to save a few lives along
the way, well, that’s all part of their
grand plan.
Details
YouTube: @NuminousExpeditions,
Facebook: @numinousE, website:
www.earthlingshop.co.za, and email:
l.robinlewis@gmail.com