Vegetable garden provides Alexandra pre-school children with a better future
Establishing food security helps to save money for additional classroom
A food garden project at an Alexandra early childhood development centre has not only fed 135 children for the past year and a half but also saved R600 a month on buying vegetables.
The Boitumelong Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre was the beneficiary of hospitality company Sun International’s corporate social investment drive into the education space, and the support helped build more than 20 vegetable beds in March 2023. The project was done in collaboration with international NGO Rise Against Hunger Africa (RAH Africa).
Since then, the Boitumelong ECD Centre garden has had a significant impact, both financially and educationally. With crops such as beetroot, spinach, brinjals, onions, cabbage, pumpkin and carrots harvested weekly from 24 beds, they have been able to reduce their monthly spend on vegetables from R800 to under R200, with the money saved going towards helping them build an additional classroom.
RAH Africa sent trainees who run sustainable garden projects on official agriculture training where they learnt costing and viability, soil fertility, pest, disease and weed control and how to monitor and coordinate harvesting. Buyi Shabalala, who is responsible for running the Boitumelo garden, was fortunate to attend. “This training has not only improved Buyi’s skills and knowledge, but will also lead to an ever more flourishing garden,” said Boitumelo ECD principal, Nokulunga Ncube.
“Sun International is pleased that the garden is adding great value to the ECD and the children attending this facility, and we are now in our second year of funding the project,” said Sun International CSI Manager Heidi Edson. “Our plan is that through the training and assistance provided, the project will continue indefinitely once funding does come to an end as it not only ensures additional nutritional food support for the children of Boitumelong and educates them on the farming of fresh vegetables, but it also creates employment and reduces monthly expenses for the ECD.”
The RAH Africa Sustainable Development team is responsible for establishing the longevity of the food garden. “This phase known as the Transition Phase and will include training on budgeting and financial planning, seedling and compost production, crop selection and training on HR matters such as leave,” said RAH Africa CEO Brian Nell. “This garden has been a great success and has led to several other ECD Garden projects.”
For more on RAH, visit: https://riseagainsthunger.org.za/