Vegetable Garden

After a successful soup kitchen project, we saw a need to now empower our beneficiaries: Diepsloot Youth Program (DYP) has sponsored over 70 individual beneficiaries, one person to start their own vegetables business, then a team of dynamic youngsters from Ikemeleng Organization in Diepsloot.

Ikemeleng Team Garden

Vegetable Home Growers Team

The team had been running the soup kitchen from the beginning of lock-down in 2020, concurrent with other community projects. Then they saw a need for a vegetable garden that would support the soup kitchen and the community around them.

DYP made sure they have all the equipment and training needed to make the garden a success. They worked with an Experienced farmer, Alex, from Edible Organics to set the garden up in November. Today, this dynamic team is able to feed the community around it through this garden.

Just last week, they managed to trade off some basil leaves to make income, which will be put into making the garden more successful. They have planted Tomatoes, Basil, onion, potatoes, spinach, cabbage and more.

With the success of the Ikemeleng team, we used them as a model for home growers. We believe the way to fight poverty is empowerment through own food growing.

We found 70 individuals who were willing to grow their own food to share among themselves and neighbours. Got them tools like: spades, forks, hand tools, watering cans, seedlings, compost, etc. and they started. It is one of our amazing programs that we are proud of. Our youngest food grower is 17 years old.

Our dream is to have at least 10% of the Diepsloot Community growing own vegetables.

DYP Sponsors Mr. Mzamani on a Micro Farmer Business

He was passionate about farming but was not as patient! DYP organized for him to use the land at one of the schools in Diepsloot, got him tools, seedlings, got the irrigation working and got him a mentor, Mr. Mulaudzi who is himself a passionate farmer! Today, he stands tall and he can now see the fruits of his efforts of working in the garden and now the most patient man! He will be giving some of his produce to the school feeding programme, as well as selling his produce to the local hawkers, who will no longer need to spend time going to the market, including some local shops!