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In June 2012 we launched a small pilot project at KwaDla-Kuse, growing spinach and beetroot in recycled 2 litre containers. I had seen this concept in the Travel News Kenya's on-line version of the magazine and decided to apply it for this community. Water is a precious commodity and this will enable them to manage their water resource effectively.
Students from the Pongola Academy collected 2 litre bottles, which we cut in half. Thanks to the headmaster, Mr Swanepoel, and Mr Pieter Lombard for facilitating this.
MaudeWelken from CPS Seedlings kindly donated 50 spinach and beetroot seedlings and 50kgs of growing mesh. Thanks Maude!!
Members of the creche committee (made up mostly of mothers) were ready to greet us.
Bheki Msango was dressed to the nines, but we all mucked in, including the little ones, and planted the seedlings.
Once we have established that this method has productive potential, we will assist with another batch of bottles and seeds.
And of course - thanks to Rob for always supporting me, driving me everywhere and helping out when things get lost in translation!
24TH JULY, 2012 UPDATE:
We delivered food for the term to KwaDla-Kuse and Sovane today. It is heartening to see that Sovane has really established itself in the community after a shaky start a few years ago. Initially the community were reluctant to pay R25 per child per month - for which they receive 5 meals a week, supervision for their kids every morning and some good educational grounding before they go to primary school.
Anna Buthelezi has hung in there and turned the school around. They have proper toilets, a great jungle gym, a gas cooker to prepare lunch (previously kids each bought a piece of wood to school for the fire!) and two helpers. There were 30 kids in attendance today.
KwaDla-Kuse is the site for the 2-litre-bottle vegetable project. Well, it kind of got .... dug up!!! For some reason the committee members decided that this wasn't going to work, so when Bheki was not around they extracted all the seedlings from their 2 litre homes and replanted them into the ground!!
Fortunately I had given Bheki some extra cash to buy more seedlings and he has managed to protect them from village fingers!!
He has cabbage and tomatoes growing in the bottles, and they are thriving!! The spinach and beetroot are doing well, but in the ground!!
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