|
Jongilanga Primary
I have been visiting them to give them any donated seeds, and also to improve their existing garden, which is a medium size area, but as they only have a Jojo tank to meet the needs of the entire school of about 800 pupils - its depressing to find that one can not even get an accurate figure on this from the principal - for washing hands, cooking, drinking and irrigating their vegetable garden, they have struggled to increase the size of their existing garden.
My last visit to them mid-December was to try and find out what critical items they might need so that we could try and assist them in obtaining them.
They requested approx 6 x20 litre water containers that could be placed outside classrooms for the pupils to drink from, without them having to go to the Jojo tank to get individual cups of water, thereby missing part of the class in progress. They also requested 2 x 3m gumpoles and some shade cloth to string up behind their soccer field goal posts to stop their soccer balls from puncturing on the razorwire fence than surrounds the school. I have written to Cape Union Mart and Sportsman's Warehouse to ask for either a donation of these items or a discount on the retail price. I haven't had a reply, so will contact them again this week, and if they are not forthcoming then I will use the R8000 that I have left over from my birthday to buy the items and deliver them when next I go to Nelspruit. I have spoken to 2 of the teachers about holding a teachers workshop re: setting up R&S club at their school, and one of the projects that I suggested for them was recycling. Paula and Jeannine are presently working with Tetrapak to put recycling bins in as many Mpumalanga schools as possible, as they have set up a recycling plant in Nelspruit and need to keep it going. It won't generate a huge income, but will provide them with enough funds to purchase more seeds or equipment for their food gardens.
Due to their lack of running water to irrigate their food gardens, I had on a previous trip explained and showed them how to install the 2l cooldrink bottle method of irrigating the garden, and it has now been put in place as seems to be making watering a bit easier for them.
Pensele Primary
As you are aware from other emails of mine, they didn't have a food garden at all, but after delivering seeds to them and advising them to also use the bottle method of irrigation due to them not even having a Jojo tank, my next visit to them 6 weeks later revealed an amazing effort to plough and prepare the soil, and to plant our donated seeds, as well as planting 10 mangoes trees that Hazel bought in Nelspruit. They now have been given a small Jojo tank by Education Department, but are still continuing to use the bottles in the ground for irrigation, even though it did take 2 visits for them to grasp the correct way of planting them was right way up, otherwise if the bottles were planted upside down, all the water would rush out of the buried spout almost immediately!
Dumisani Primary
they had a very small food garden behind the school the first few times I visited, but every packet of seeds I took to them was always planted when I next came to see them. They then explained to me, on asking why they didn't increase their small garden as it could in no way feed almost 1000 pupils a day, that their area was particularly hot and they did not have enough water to keep the soil moist enough to expand what they had already. They requested some old shade cloth to shade the area, thereby keeping the soil from drying out so quickly after irrigation. John then very kindly donated 50m of cloth to them for this purpose.
Good Hope Aids Refuge
Unfortunately due to their precarious existence in a disused shebeen on land belonging to the local chiefs, it has been very difficult to do anything of a permanent nature, so I have been visiting them every month to offer support and to bring them fruit, vegetables, meat, toys for the kids, and bags of second-hand kiddies clothes collected from friends in JHB. I really enjoy spending time there, even though it is heartbreaking. Tamary Nyoni and her 5 volunteers from the local community that keep this place running have to be saints to struggle with more and more children being dumped on their doorstep every week, without receiving a single cent from the government! |
|
|
Roots and Shoots of the Jane Goodall Institute and KDR Sports and Adventure Travel (Pty) Ltd have joined forces to establish two new groups in and around Soweto.
The one is in Kliptown squatter camp a very poor area with few if any services and amenities. A group of young people have established a club in a facility owned by the Catholic nuns who no longer are active in the area. There are meeting rooms and a crèche on the premises.
The second group is in Lehae to the south of Johannesburg where a large number of people are being relocated from informal (shack) settlements in and around Soweto into new “RDP” houses provided by the government as part of the programme to do away with shacks. To date few facilities are provided although the residents now have formal houses with services.
In both areas there are a large number of young people who have left school who do not have jobs and are unable to access tertiary education. Many are frustrated and have now release for their energy. KDR as part of its social development programme has been working with these groups for some time and now with Roots and Shoots new initiatives compatible with the objectives of the two organizations are planned.
The first projects will be food gardens and on 7th August a combined workshop was held in Kliptown. In spite of it being one of the coldest days of the year, there was an enthusiastic response to the workshop presented by Luke Mdluli of Mpumalanga. The delegates were exposed to the concepts of organic gardening, propagation of seeds, planting and care of seedlings, preparing compost and nutrition. Some basic tools, compost, seeds and seedlings had been donated or were bought out of allocated funds and were distributed to the two groups.
In Kliptown suitable land was available within the complex and planting was able to commence almost immediately. Within the group there are two components one being the staff and mothers of the crèche and the other non aligned young people. They are sharing resources and will be sharing the fruits too.
In Lehae suitable common land is still being sought and in the meanwhile a patch within the residential property of one of the members is being
used.
Importantly it is hoped to spread the concept wider in the community so that many members and others will start and maintain food garden on their own properties as well as supporting the community concept. Within Kliptown particularly this presents unique challenges in that the land available to households is generally tiny and not viable in the normal sense. However the idea of using old motor car tyres and drums is being pursued.
Motor car tyres may have symbolic importance too as often they are being used to set on fire to draw attention to grievances and in incidents of violence. Using tyres may be a means to direct anger into productive channels.
Ongoing support for the initiative is needed and many channels are available for people to be involved.
It is intended to expand support for these communities.
Already KDR has bought and presented netball poles and balls and soccer balls to the young people.
Other projects in keeping with the objectives may include trips to Suikerbosrand game reserve, care for domestic animals and disabled people in the community. Two of the young ladies from Lehae are attending a course presented by the SA Association for Mental Health in Randburg. As part of their practical they are caring for a little girl with Cerabral Palsey and working at Phipip Kushlik school for mentally disabled children in Bara Hospital.
|
|
