Speaker

James Fernie

Founder
Uthando (Love) South Africa

James Fernie is a visionary social entrepreneur and the founder of Uthando (Love) South Africa, a globally recognised non-profit that transforms tourism into a force for social change and community development. Since 2007, James has pioneered a model of Travelling Philanthropy, connecting tourism companies, organisations and visitors from all over the world with local grassroots organisations working in many sectors including early childhood education, food security, mental health, the arts, youth empowerment and more. His mission is simple but urgent: to build sincere bridges between vastly different worlds, and to channel resources, dignity and hope into communities too often overlooked. In 2023, he launched The Heart of Cape Town which was recently recognised WTM Africa, a bold, peace-focused initiative using the Heart to ignite love, healing and inclusivity in divided spaces. James believes South Africa can lead the world in reimagining how we build, using tyres, plastic bottles and other waste to create structures of purpose, dignity and beauty. A relentless dreamer with his feet firmly on the ground, James is driven by fairness, justice and a deep belief in the power of human connection and resilience.