Garden of hope: ICRC and Mzanzi Organics team up to address food crisis
Aghmad Gamieldien from Mzanzi Organics explains to the ICRC staffAghmad Gamieldien, founder of Mzanzi Organics (a small-scale pocket farming organization) teaches ICRC staff and members of Rearabilwe Community Development Centre how to care for a vegetable garden.Frennie Shivambu
Children are colouring-in pages that have Mandela's faces on themChildren at Rearabilwe Community Development Centre enjoy colouring images of the late former president, Nelson Mandela.Frennie Shivambu
Aghmad Gamieldien from Mzanzi Organics explains to childrenAghmad Gamieldien from Mzanzi Organics shares flower seeds with the children. He explained to them why it is important to plant seeds.Frennie Shivambu
ICRC staff help children water the plantsPretoria Deputy Head of Regional Delegation in Pretoria Mutsa Mugangavari and IHL intern Megan van Schalkwyk demonstrates to a group of children how to water plants and nurture their own vegetable gardens.Frennie Shivambu
ICRC Regional Delegation in Pretoria teamed up with Mzanzi Organics, a small-scale pocket farming organization, to plant a vegetable, fruit, and herb garden at Rearabilwe Community Development Centre.
The centre runs programmes that are focused around sustainable livelihoods as well as drug and substance abuse for youth aged between 18 and 35 years.
This year, the Nelson Mandela Foundation's theme centered on protecting the environment and addressing the challenge of climate change. Given the food crisis on the African continent, the creation of a vegetable garden provides the community centre with a sustainable food source.
Not only will the community have access to fresh produce in proximity but also a better understanding of planting and maintaining a vegetable garden through an educational workshop facilitated by Mzansi Organics. The workshop covered information on soil fertility, setting up compost areas as well as planting vegetables like potatoes, onions and carrots that are easy to grow and have high daily practical use.
The ICRC will conduct regular visits to the community vegetable garden over the next year and offer technical support to community members and staff on the maintenance of the garden.