Cultivating vegatable gardens in the name of the Lord
The purpose of the exercise, called the Mormon Helping Hands, was to help families and individuals who were treated at or live close to Clinic 5 learn how to grow their own vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, onions, spinach and beetroot. In the process, the residents could provide themselves with a high nutrition diet.
On August 16, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and more than a dozen members from the Madadeni community met at Clinic 5.
The purpose of the exercise, called the Mormon Helping Hands, was to help families and individuals who were treated at or live close to Clinic 5 learn how to grow their own vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, onions, spinach and beetroot. In the process, the residents could provide themselves with a high nutrition diet.
The project was initiated by Busisiwe Ziqubu, who is an employee working at the clinic and who is also a member of the church. In her opening prayer, she asked for an “…attitude of all participants to rather produce and be self-reliant that just consume.”
Members of the church youth dug up the earth and fertilised the soil six weeks in advance to prepare for the group activity on the day. Twenty motivated people came together, supported by instructors and equipped with garden tools, to start their very own vegetable garden.
“One of the young mothers and her teenage daughter, who have never done any gardening before, were joyful as they planted cabbage seedlings,” said Elder Classen, spokesperson for the church. “They told me they never thought something like planting vegetables could bring so much joy, and be so easy.”
After a long day working and planting, refreshments were served and arrangements were made for another meeting.
