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Our garden has been a part of Joshua Project for many years.
It provides plenty of nutritious meals to those in our communities who most need it. It also supplements our income, since people love buying fresh veggies straight from it.
Our garden’s taken a few knocks over the years, including the droughts of 2016 through 2018, which saw national water restrictions prevent us from watering it.
But by God’s grace we received water tanks in 2018, which gave our precious garden a much needed breather.
But not only does our garden provide food to those who need it most, it’s also an educational tool that sometimes far surpasses what you can learn from a book.
That’s why we involve children from our community in our garden work. Not only does it give them a good physical workout, it also teaches them about husbandry, which is an art that is sadly waning in our day and age, due to the ease of walking into a store and picking your food from a shelf.
But working the land also helps our kids develop discipline and a solid work ethic.
And there’s no better time to learn about farming than in these days, since becoming self-sustaining is a magnificent goal to reach.
At the beginning of 2020 we had the privilege of once more applying laser focus to our garden.
For a start, with the help of Joshua Project volunteers and family, we planted some seedlings.
And because we’ve been working in the garden week after week, watering it and maintaining it, we’ve been blessed with the fruit of our labour (or is it the vegetables of our labour? :)).
These gardening sessions have provided our children with some of the greatest lessons they’ll ever learn: God’s provision through the land, how working with their hands (Skills Development) can help them be valuable to society, and all about nutrition.
Feeding families during lockdown
Of course, just like everyone else, our communities are feeling the effects of COVID-19.
That’s why we thank our heavenly Father for the spinach, broccoli, peppers and other vegetables we’ve been able to plant, all of which form a crucial part in helping feed families that have no food during these times of crisis.
Joshua Project was able to help at least 25 families during the second week of lockdown with food parcels, all of which contained spinach from our garden.
The second time Joshua Project issued food parcels, they contained broccoli too, not just spinach. There was even enough to donate to misplaced people sheltering in a nearby caravan park, as well as to ten St Francis Bay families.
We will continue to work the garden for as long as we are permitted and pray that God will continue to use it to provide to the community.
What we need for the garden operation to grow
There are a few things we’d like to add to our garden operation…
Shed
Although we’re doing great on the growing side of things, we’d like to expand our operation with a shed where we can wash and pack the vegetables.
This shed will require a table (ideally stainless steel) where we can sort the veggies.
We’ll also need drainage, as well as a vegetable spinner, for drying the vegetables.
Then we’d like to get a scale to keep record of the veggies that go out.
Greenhouse
In addition to the shed we’d also like to introduce a greenhouse to our garden so we can start doing tunnel farming too.
Most of these structures we’ll build ourselves. We don’t need physical help. But read on to see how you can help.
Education
Since our garden is super important for not only providing food, but also education, we’d love to have some desks inside the shed so kids can sit and learn about gardening.
This will allow us to pass on these crucial skills to the next generation.
How you can help
We need your help.
As mentioned above, we’re sorted with physical help. We can actually build most of what we need ourselves.
That being said, materials cost money. We reckon this project could cost up to R20,000.
So if you think investing in the future of our families seems like a worthy cause to you, click the big “Invest now” button on this page to see our bank details and our SnapScan barcode.
We look forward to having you partner with us!
