Urban garden seeks to bring hope
Glenwood-based non-profit organisation Africa my Urithi has transformed what was once a dump site into a fledgling urban garden.
AFRICA my Urithi, a non-profit organisation based in Glenwood, has transformed what was once a dump site into a fledgling urban garden.
The word ‘urithi’ means heritage in Swahili, according to its founder, Andile Xaba, a Glenwood resident. Xaba said the site was previously home to a slew of illegal activities which included the sale of illicit drugs.
“We approached the municipality and requested to make positive use of the area by creating a food garden that will help curb poverty in our area and keep illegal activities at bay,” Xaba said.
The project hired 25 homeless people on a short-term basis to get the project running. Unfortunately, funding did not materialise, and Africa my Urithi is now run by just two volunteers. Xaba and his assistants’ produce includes brinjal, English giant rape, spinach, coriander and thyme.
ALSO READ: Aweh! Find out what’s happening in Durban and surrounds
THE popular KZN Art Gallery restaurant is one of Africa my Urithi’s regular customers. In addition, their scrumptious vegetables are also taken to soup kitchens around Durban that feed the homeless. The NPO also distributes food to Warm the Heart in Bluff and a satellite food distribution in Malvern that feeds people in the informal settlements.
Xaba, however, fears that if they do not get funding, the organisation will collapse.
“My biggest fear is that if we don’t get funding and support, the place will go back to the deteriorated state that it was in before. We are in need of funding to get infrastructure, such as a greenhouse, and equipment, such as tanks, to store rainwater. We also need fence materials to extend the place since we need a bigger garden to sustain all the projects that we run and to support the garden,” he said.
Also read: Volunteers keep environment clean by picking up trash at Blue Lagoon
According to Xaba, the area has become a positive symbol of hope in the community – with food prices hiking every day, this garden is their hope in fighting hunger, crime and poverty.
Xaba is appealing to the public and any organisation that can lend a helping hand to please reach out to them.
To donate, contact Andile Xaba via email on Axaba92@gmail.com or call 062 443 8750.
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
