Soil for Life and Thatu

Margery Povall heard about Soil for Life in 2006. When she visited its projects she was impressed by the dedication and scope of their work, and she and Susan Law visited again in 2007. The Trustees decided later in 2007 to fund the SFL activities in 'Touws River' for two years and in 2008 to raise funds for the 'Sibanye Food Growing Enterprise Project'.

In 2010 Thatu supported the Soil for Life, 'Levana Primary School Food Growing Enterprise and Home Gardening Project' in the Cape Flats.  This involved the development of a central gardening enterprise in the school, alongside four advanced training courses for the existing community and home gardeners.  Other local people were also to be trained and supported so that they could develop their own sustainable home gardens.

In March Margery Povall found a flourishing Levana School community project with a very professional looking plant nursery which will provide funds for the volunteers.

The Levana Project Volunteers enthusiastically at work in the Plant Nursery

She was taken then to see one of the brand new home gardens.

‘ We drove off the tarred road, onto a track across the sand which petered out into sandy pathways. We wound right and left between shacks, and stopped next to a small triangle of green – like an oasis in the desert. This was Paul’s vegetable garden which four months before had also been a patch of sand. He now feeds his family, and has taken over his neighbour’s small patch of ground. His artistic abilities have also developed with the creation of a scarecrow from pieces of polystyrene.

It seems Thatu’s funds can help create miracles:

Paul and his Scarecrow

By June 153 people had joined the 12 week home gardening programme. As a result the first 50 had established gardens and are able to feed their families and sell or barter excess. Thirty of these have also attended workshops.

The community gardening site at Levana Primary School is being maintained by four of the home gardeners. As a result they have generated income from the sale of vegetables, compost and seedlings from their established plant nursery.

Whereas community gardening projects can run into all sorts of problems which affect their long term viability, to date the home gardening initiative seems to have excellent long term potential for benefitting individuals, and the wider community.

By the end of 2010 166 individuals had participated in the Home Food Gardening Programme, paying to join, and signing a contract in return for coaching and assistance for one year. At the end of November records showed that 78% of them were still actively gardening. They produce food for their families and can sell or barter the excess in the community. They have all attended workshops as part of the program. These include workshops on plant propagation, health and nutrition, making and using a hot box as a means of saving electricity, cooking economical meals, preserve making and making jewellery and crafts using recycled material. They have also been taught how to use the Community Exchange Network System, where community members exchange good s and services using ‘talents’ [either time or goods/services]. As a result some have found employment as domestic workers, gardeners or general helpers.

Pat Featherstone reported ‘Levana Growers are going from strength to strength and are now 'selling' us a service as well as their seedlings and vegetables. They have all become foot soldiers and are paid a small fee to provide a back-up service to Sandi. Their responsibilities are to make sure that home gardeners keep up their gardens, remain enthusiastic and attend the life skills sessions. So far, so good, and they're increasing their earnings. They have also embarked on a Learnership programme which runs for a year and the aim is to develop their knowledge and skills to such an extent that they could assist us in a more comprehensive way with our fieldwork programme, or find employment elsewhere as trainers.’

Levana growers

February 2011

In 2011 we have been able to continue supporting the excellent work of Soil for Life with a small donation. This will be used to help develop the Levana and Sinebhonga Food Growing Enterprise and Home Food Gardening Projects. New home gardeners will join the schemes. The school garden will continue being supported. And the potential for income from creating compost heaps will be enhanced. Training of the Levana gardeners will also continue with the aim that they increase their income raising potentia

July 2011

Thatu has been able to supplement our original small donation to SFL for work in 2011 with funding of £2,000 from the Body Shop Foundation. We are delighted, and very grateful to them for this.

SFL will be able to expand their activities in their Home Food Gardening Programme and the Food Growing Enterprises and Food Gardening Learnership Programmes. In the first five months of 2011 SFL trained 279 individuals to develop home gardens, 90% of whom were still actively gardening when monitored some months later. And their food growing centres are creating income through selling both plants and compost. Four members have been selected to continue with more intensive training to develop their existing skills into marketable assets.

Home and Centre gardeners are encouraged and 105 have taken part in Life Skills training workshops covering plant propagation, community exchange system, preserve making, arts and crafts, hot box cooking and recycled jewellery making.

UK Registered Charity No. 1108655