Hoërskool Elsburg principal Hannes Nieuwoudt had a dream of starting a vegetable garden after children were attending school hungry.
“You cannot teach a hungry learner and as a school we don’t have any feeding scheme in place. I am proud and happy to have staff who support my vision. They have made my dream a reality,” said Nieuwoudt.
The garden was started in June.
The school had an overgrown space that has been used for a shooting range.
“When we decided to start the garden we were not sure where to start. We had overgrown grass and we told ourselves we will tackle it piece by piece,” said teacher Petra Spies.
The school garden will help to sustain many learners and their families.
“As a school, we are registered as a quintile five, which means we are an affording school, but that is not the reality. Over the years the school has become diverse and we have learners who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This garden is inspired by that because it forms part of a bigger feeding scheme. Learners in need will be able to eat from this garden,” said Spies.
“We ask learners in need to approach a teacher they trust and let them know their challenges. That way it remains completely private,” said Spies.
This garden has inspired the school to also launch a Bag of Hope project which has been supplementing meals for learners who are in need.
“The staff donated bags of rice and non-perishables and we packaged these bags to feed a family of four for two weeks,” said Spies.
“Teachers and the community have joined in helping in the garden, from donating seedlings to donating tools and machinery. It has been amazing. It has become a learning journey because we are trying different seeds and see how they respond and grow,” said Spies.
Future plans for the garden include planting fruit and getting the learners involved in the garden upkeep.
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Another teacher who has been involved and also learning from this project is geography teacher Zilungile Nethwadzi.
He said Spies’ passion for the learners has been evident through this gardening project.
“She makes time for everything. She is going beyond her teaching duties,” said Nethwadzi.
“We are growing mealies that require little water. We have cabbage, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, onions and rocket, to name a few.
“We hope this garden will eventually provide everything,” said Nethwadzi.
The garden has received a positive response from the community and businesses in the area.
“When we started we did not think we will receive such a response. We have had donations from companies and the community. We appreciate every single donation we have received since the project started,” said Spies.
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