The bare necessity of providing food for their families is one of many challenges residents face in Vrygrond.
The Where Rainbows Meet Training and Development Foundation established a “garden of hope” project to assist women and youth in the neighbourhood.
Kyle Cupido, project manager at the foundation, says putting food on the table is often a challenge for many.
“On a daily basis, the women and youth we serve are confronted with gender-based violence, drug abuse, gangsterism, crime and a range of other social ills.
“The provision of even the most basic necessities for their families can be a challenge, and many of the women, youth and other vulnerable groups who now participate in and lead our projects were once found waiting in line at our feeding scheme.”
He adds that a lack of employment and educational opportunities, as well as challenges related to health, make it hard for residents to secure a regular source of income with which to support their families.
“The purpose of this project is to restore the garden to its former levels of production. Increasing both the quality and quantity of the yield of our garden will hold numerous benefits for the community.
“Once we are able to produce enough, we can then take our seeds produced from that harvest and use those for the next growing season, thus creating a sustainable system and generating income opportunities and economic development.”
Cupido adds that the project also aims to improve the level of education in the Vrygrond community as a means to address the high rate of unemployment.
“The project aims to create new community leaders via leadership and work skills development and to provide healthy food for the community by increasing the number of healthy home gardens.”
