Ntombi plants roots to her dreams
A local NPO has reached out to members of the Mariannhill community in an effort to make them self dependent.
THE freshly formed NPO, the Self Help Charity Trust, has initiated its first gardening training project at Jabulani in Mariannhill.
The aim of the project is to teach impoverished individuals how to plant and grow their own food, which can later be sold and turned into a profit.
According to Ted Callan, founder of the NPO, they made the announcement of their plans at Jabulani two months ago and out of a handful of candidates, Ntombi Hlongwane was chosen to take part in the project.
The vegetable garden is 12 square metres and has an array of vegetables growing from green peppers, beans and cabbage to carrots, lettuce and tomatoes.
“I feel so excited and grateful to have been chosen to head up this project. I absolutely enjoy working in my vegetable garden everyday and I hope to one day have enough money to build my own home,” said Ntombi.
Once Ntombi has completed her three-month training, she will then take her knowledge back to her community and teach two other people how to garden and tend to their own vegetable patches.
Varsity College Westville campus has been involved with Jablani through its VC Cares initiative and, according to Justin Sievwright, a senior student advisor, they are excited about the prospects this project could have. “We hope that this will continue for a long time and many others will be trained through this project. We also hope to institute a recycling programme at Jabulani,” said Justin.
“With this project we hope to prove to the community that you can be independent. I also like to thank Anne Jones because without her help this project would not have happened,” said Ted.
The Self Help Trust would like to extend its projects and is in need of donations. Contact Ted on 083 778 9809, 031 266 4347 or email ecallan@mweb.co.za.
