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7 May 2010
It certainly was an information-filled session at the recent StarTalk featuring a team of tutors from the Ekukhanyeni Relief Project, who came to talk about their Permaculture project. And, coupled with the Winter Collection handover, the excitement in the room was palpable. All the presenters were a little nervous, this being the very first time any of them had presented in front of a corporate audience, but as they told their stories, it was obvious that their confidence grew with each word.
Ryan Dickey, Ekukhanyeni's Permaculture programme coordinator and designer, kicked off with an explanation of the thinking behind the Ekukhanyeni Relief Project and how the Permaculture project came into being.
Permaculture is the amalgamation of two words - permanent agriculture. It's basically a method of repairing the Earth from the damage we have caused and are causing it through the use of chemicals and the changes we inflict upon it in the name of civilisation. Implementing traditional organic farming methods that have been used for centuries, the land is restored to its former health and repays us by providing sustenance and biological diversity in the form of insects and wildlife. It's not a new philosophy, but the rewards and implementation on a larger scale certainly are.
"We believe that ethics are not just for plants and environmental friendliness, but for people," says Ryan, explaining some of the reasoning behind the organic movement at Ekukhanyeni. It's not just about being perceived to be good citizens, but also about making a tangible difference and boosting morale by providing both jobs and food to the community.
Says MBSA Group CSR manager Tina Buys, "We in South Africa are faced with the challenge of improving the matric pass rate, but to do so we must start at pre-school level. MBSA's support of the Ekukhanyeni project therefore focuses on formal early childhood development as well as food security programmes."
That's where the Permaculture garden comes in. Realising that the children in their care were desperately in need of good nutrition, both to support their immune systems and to help them concentrate on their lessons instead of their hunger, Ekukhanyeni put its organic ideas into practice. And we're not just talking about one lone vegetable garden to feed a specific number of children. The project not only started its own garden, but branched out to the community, offering training on how to grow one's own vegetables.
"We don't just offer the workshops to everyone," explains Ryan, "but to those specifically interested in gardening, in nutrition, in spreading their knowledge and implementing it in the broader community. There is also a Resource Centre where people from the community can come in an interact with our community tutors, see what's being done, and hopefully be inspired to join.
"We're basically trying to change the 'handout' culture that exists in South Africa, to one of self-sufficiency. Give someone the ability to grow their own food and make a living doing so, and you've set them on the path to independence."
By this stage in the programme, which has been running for two years, the tutors have enough experience to be 'outsourced' in a Train The Trainer programme. They can take their skills and teach other community members, as with the Rainbow Farmers Association in Eldorado Park, run in conjunction with WITS Health Promotion Unit. Partnering with an academic institution provides the necessary human resources in terms of researchers to conduct and measure programme impacts. This is another method of reducing co-dependence within communities, and helps create nodes near home where people can learn and benefit without the need for migration.
All this time, the creche gardens were taking shape and the children were receiving good, wholesome food straight from the Earth. The eight creche principals were sent on a 12-month permaculture internship; the creches have been so successful that they are able to provide their own form of sponsorship, by donating food to the Laura Vicuna Project in Finetown, a centre for vulnerable children.
Then it was the turn of the four community members who'd come along to show off what they've learned. Jerminah Nzuza spoke about the need for Seed Saving; Gladys Mooki presented on the topic of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; Victor Qhali came up to show off his earthworm bin and talk about the advantages of earthworm farming; and Eric Molopi spoke to the audience about medicinal herbs.
So successful was their presentation at MBX-SA on Tuesday that the Ekukhanyeni team of Permaculture tutors has been inspired to begin a roadshow with its other sponsors, taking tutors to various organisations to show what can be achieved by one community stepping up to the challenge of helping each other and becoming self-sufficient without having to rely solely on handouts.
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