Project Report
| Sep 8, 2020
a green jewel amoung the urban desert
By Rob Small | resource mobilisation support to Abalimi
![a green jewel in an urban desert]()
a green jewel in an urban desert
Dear GlobalGiving Friends, here is a wonderful example of how community gardens can take over otherwise unused space. The Siyazama Urban Allotment Garden Association began in 1995 on 5000m2 of unutilised land under powerlines. Today it has expanded to three hectares involing 5 different community gardens , all of whcih are cultivated by surrounding community members. They all provide for their families but also sell surplus to the local community and via various marketing channels that place a premium on their produce.
The pic (selected attachment # 1 below} included herewith shows the extent of the gardens and their beautiful effect within the surrounding deset-like areas.
We hope you are inspired as much as we are by the progress made by the Siyazama Allotment Garden Association.
Best regards
Rob Small
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May 8, 2020
We continue during COVID 19
By Rob Small | resource mobilisation support to Abalimi
![Home gardeners receive seedlings]()
Home gardeners receive seedlings
Dear GlobalGiving Friends
COVID 19 has challenged us to find ways to support our target group (unemployed adults) that do not involve groups of people being trained. Thus we have had to suspend training courses during lockdown. But we managed to get permission to keep on providing our services on the ground non the less. Thus our garden centres remain open for individuals to come get manure and seedlings. Plus we have launched "manure runs", whereby we take manure and seedlings out into the far flung areas to service our target group (especially home gardeners) so that they dont have to come to our garden centres on public transport which would expose them to a higher risk of infection. The manure runs go out four times a week and reach approximately 50 gardeners on each run.
The gardeners pay a nominal amount of money to buy the manure, seed and seedlings which goes back into buying more manure and seedlings. Thus our home gardeners are enabled to continue planting fresh veg at their homes.
Your help make this possible and we thank you for our continued support during this challenging time
![Manure run April 20]()
Manure run April 20
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Jan 14, 2020
Newsletter 45 Training and Home gardens
By Rob Small | resource mobilisation support to Abalimi
Dear GlobalGiving Friends, greetings in 2020.
Here is our latest newsletter covering a 12 month period with the foucs on our basic training and some lovely examples of home gardens arising from the training.
Although I have already reported on training in a recent previous report, this newsletter brings you closer to the action on the ground.
Your wonderful help with our work has been and is essential to enable those who cannot pay for the training to obtain bursaries. These trainees most often go on to start a home garden which can supplement their food supply at home since there are more often than not many mouths to feed. There is an average of 5 household members per gardener, sometimes many more and the fresh veg from their home gardens makes a real difference to their household food security.
Bless you and thank you for your support!
Rob Small
*all the people named in the newsletter have given permission for their full names to be used.
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