A group of elderly residents from Harare is working tirelessly to support and feed children from the local Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) as well as the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group runs Luleka Food Garden (LFG) as part of the Urban Garden Project (UGP), a Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) initiative. LFG was established in 2019 in an attempt to support and create jobs for the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The garden is situated along the busy Mew Way Road and boasts a range of vegetables to support and sustain the needy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda Mti, UGP supervisor, said they are monitoring all the small gardens in townships. \u201cWe have various gardens in different communities that we are supporting with seeds and garden equipment. VPUU is an umbrella of all the projects,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Explaining the establishment of LFG, Mti said they started with 10 members. However, the number dropped to five. She stated that gardening requires a person who is dedicated and passionate about the work. \u201cYou won\u2019t succeed in this business if you want quick bucks. You need to be patient because sometimes things do not go the way you expect,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mti emphasised that they are only planting organic food. \u201cWe have various vegetables that we are planting here depending on the season. Currently we have cabbage, spinach, lettuce, green pepper, strawberry, spring onion, brinjal, turnip, broccoli, leeks, origanum etc,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mti said they target local cr\u00e8ches. \u201cAfter harvesting VPUU sells the produce to the local cr\u00e8ches and puts the money to the employees account. Whatever is sold goes straight to the workers account and they divide their money every six months,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mti described crime as their worst enemy. \u201cIn the middle of 2020 criminals stole all our fence. They left the garden open. But we continued working even though there was no fence till VPUU installed another fence mid last year,\u201d she said, adding that their vegetables were not stolen though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the workers Sikhumbuzo Sokana said they work from Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 17:00. \u201cWorking in the garden keeps me fit and active. I\u2019ve learned a lot ever since I started working here in June (last year). There are other vegetables that I didn\u2019t know are seasonal,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sokana said it wasn\u2019t difficult for him to adjust to the working environment as he worked as a gardener for 30years in Durbanville. \u201cSome of my colleagues went for training. I\u2019m the only man working with four women,\u201d said Sokana. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A group of elderly residents from Harare is working tirelessly to support and feed children from the local Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) as well as the 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