Pupils at MC Weiler Primary School were taught about nutritious living and a healthy environment through gardening by an initiative called CANGRO.
In partnership with the Speaker’s Office of the City of Johannesburg Municipal Metropolitan Council and Nedbank Channel Synergy the school was chosen to launch the initiative. The pupils were shown how to grow their own tomato plants upside down in recycled cans.
Council Speaker Connie Bapela said the initiative would also help to keep the city clean. “We want to make the city’s cleanliness sustainable by using recycled cans,” explained Bapela.
The initiative is more than teaching pupils about health – it also grooms them into entrepreneurs at a young age. Godfrey Giles, senior business analyst at Nedbank, said through the encouragement of gardening the pupils could produce fresh vegetables which they could sell. He added, “It’s a win for everyone because pupils can sell the vegetables and the community gets fresh produce.”
A research project was also conducted where pupils were asked to draw a picture of how they saw themselves in the future, showing their future goals and ambitions before and after the project. The University of Johannesburg and Wits Business School were also involved, sponsored by the SA Legion of Military Veterans.
The plants’ progress will be monitored through Facebook where the public can vote on the best plant. There will be a prize-giving in November.
