Envirochild plans to promote as much learning about self sustainable lifestyles as possible. And to promote all organisations that are involved in local learning.

In Imizamu Yethu and organisation called
Ikaya le Themba has been offering after school activities for primary school children who are often alone in the afternoon whilst their parents/carers work. They currently have 60 children attending their programmes over 3 afternoons a week. They offer the following programmes so far:

 

 
Hero Books - An art therapy based programme that allows children to make their own picture books starring themselves as a hero overcoming problems.
Kids in the Garden - A food gardening programme that teaches the children about healthy eating, permaculture gardening, seed life cycles and plant parts.
Reading Nook - An English based reading and spelling programme where children can work in small groups to improve their skills.
See their website for ways to get involved and help

 

Cape Flats schools visit Hout Bay
organic vegetable enterprise

Promoting Environmental Action for Sustainability

Green PEAS is a project of Envirochild
Non-profit c/k 2007/020456/08

Press release 21/7/2008

Date of event: 18/7/2008   Time: 9:30 – 15:30
Facilitators: Kirsten Zsilavecz & Talfryn Harris
Participating schools: Fairview Primary & Kannemeyer Primary (Grassy Park), Montagu Drive Primary (Mitchell’s Plain), Primrose Park Primary (Mannenberg)  3 Learners from each, four teachers and two school caretakers.
Venue: Persephone Park, 25 Riverside Terrace, Hout Bay.

Sponsors:

• SEED Organic classroom Program (www.seed.org.za)

• Woolworths Hout Bay (ref  Aisha 021 790 10130)

• Café Labyrinth, 62 Victoria Avenue, near cnr Oxford Rd (Ref Sam 078 853 0716)

Teachers and Learners from four Cape Flats schools visited Hout Bay to learn about the organic vegetable growing enterprise started by Kirsten Zsilavecz of GreenPEAS
(an Envirochild Project).

Kirsten grows vegetables at the Persephone institute, where she has created an outdoor classroom under the oak tree for workshops. The Learners spent time in the garden where they harvested vegetables and prepared them for delivery to Hout Bay restaurants.

The participating schools have food gardens planted by the NGO SEED (www.seed.org.za ), and the workshop was part of their Economic and Management Sciences Learning Area. The recent food price increases have made it more feasible for local organic growers to compete with food brought in from large farms. The workshop was intended to show the schools a real-life example of a sustainable enterprise, and a glimpse into how a thriving business can be started with locally available resources. Kirsten feeds her organic gardens with compost made from Hout Bay’s horse manure and straw bedding, and also uses earthworms, chickens and pigs to improve the soil.

“Organic farming is all about feeding the soil – the vegetables are almost a by-product of a healthy soil” says Kirsten. Local restaurants (The Health Path, The Greenhouse, La Cuccina) buy the vegetables and collect food waste for feeding the farm animals. Vegetables are also delivered by bicycle which maximizes income and reduces carbon emissions.

The visiting learners researched prices on the internet for organic produce, at Café Labyrinth in Victoria Avenue (which sponsored access to the internet).

Learners also visited SPAR in Victoria Avenue and Woolworths to examine fresh produce and critically assess pricing, value and quality.

At Woolworths they were met by Aisha Splinter and Manager Leon Erens, who presented the visitors with fruit and snacks for a picnic lunch along Chapmans Peak Drive.

 

Another highlight of the day was a visit to the Republic of Hout Bay Consulate where the learners and their teachers were presented with Hout Bay passports by Consul Andre Jacobs.

 

 

“Our intention was for the visiting learners and teachers to have fun and experience what a sustainable business look like. They left with a very positive impression of Hout Bay and I’m sure they will return with their families to visit Hout Bay’s other attractions” says Talfryn Harris of GreenPEAS.

GreenPEAS would like to run a similar workshop for Hout Bay schools and invites interested sponsors to contact them (greenpeasco@gmail.com or www.envirochild.org).

     

 

 

 

 

 

Press release prepared by: Talfryn Harris
 

Mandela Park Self Help Project