IN a way to give back to the community and to honour people who are standing out, Nando’s Meyersdal invited Kiara Nirghin and her family and friends for lunch.
Kiara (16) from Meyersdal won the grand prize at the Google Science Fair for using orange peel to develop a cheap super-absorbent material to help soil retain water. This was announced in Mountain View in the US on September 27.
“This is our monthly marketing brand and we are proud of Kiara,” said Sifiso Bophele, area manager. Neo Khumalo (store manager) and Sifiso welcomed the family with open arms and made sure they offered their best to them.
According to Kiara, she is so thankful to Nando’s for taking initiative in the community and she said this is the best way to promote community members.
She is a grade 11 pupil from St Martin’s School in Johannesburg. She worked on a project to alleviate drought in the country. Called “No More Thirsty Crops”, her solution uses orange and avocado peels.
Kiara told the RECORD that her mother and father helped her a lot with the research and listening to her ideas. Kiara wants to have a career in the field of science and maths one day in the US. Her motto in life is “Dreams don’t work if you don’t”.
Her whole family was there and enjoyed the lunch. “Thank you Nando’s,” she said.
How her project works:
Kiara created an absorbent polymer from orange and avocado peels that is able to act as a water retainer in soil.
It won her the Google Science Fair Community Impact Award in the Africa/Middle East region earlier this year.
She described her invention as creating “mini reservoirs of water in the soil and plants will be able to have a water supply even through drought”.
Kiara hopes her project improves food security and the standard of living of many people.
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