A new vegetable garden project has been launched at the Abraham Kriel Children’s Home, Nylstroom. Under the guidance of Charnel Oberholzer, one of our social workers, and several house parents, a group of boys and girls grow and care for their own vegetables.

The first vegetables were planted a few months ago and the project has already produced encouraging results. The children have harvested two crops so far and enjoyed fresh spinach that they planted and tended themselves.

The project has since gained further momentum, with around 300 new seedlings planted in February. In addition to spinach, other houses have also planted vegetables such as cabbage and beetroot.

“With this project, we aim to teach our children new skills and use it as an opportunity to reach out to the community. The first organisation in the community to receive enough beetroot and spinach for a meal was Ons Hoop Tuiste, a home for underprivileged elderly people. The children delivered the vegetables in person and spent some time visiting with the residents. Both the children and the residents experienced it very positively.” says Charnel.

We welcome any support to help us expand the project further. This includes donations of pest-control products, a pressure sprayer, seedlings, as well as practical advice and expertise.

The project is a source of pride – not only because of the harvests, but also because of the enthusiasm and perseverance with which our children work in the vegetable gardens.

Please feel free to email Charnel Oberholzer at [email protected] if you would like to get involved in this project.