Through Soil for Life’s programmes, tiny green islands develop in what were once bleak and barren environments, making a difference to the people that we train as well as their families and the broader community. As people learn how to use waste, grow their own food, prepare nutritious meals and live a healthier life, they reconnect with the earth and their fellow man. We see a growing sense of goodwill towards others and a genuine interest in improving and protecting the environment.
Over 7,600 people have learnt how to develop and sustain productive home and community food gardens since 2002.
Sanadia Brown
Sanadia has become an expert in seed saving. She is cultivating seedlings for her own garden and to sell to others in the community.
Shaun Bosch
After practicing all the skills he learnt through training, Shaun set up his own thriving gardening business. He also sells compost, seedlings, planter boxes and earthworms in the community and via Soil for Life.
Yvonne Botto
Yvonne Botto is growing veggies at home and on a larger plot in the community. In addition to feeding herself, she also donates to people less fortunate in the community.
Little Brinks
Little Brinks is a place of safety for vulnerable children. The vegetables from their amazing garden are supplying food to their kitchen and feeding schemes and is also generating an income through sales in the local community.
Lovedalia Tsewu
Lovedalia has a magnificent garden that is not only feeding her family but also generating income through the sale of veggies. Lovedalia has also started a garden at the local Educare Centre to ensure that the children have access to fresh vegetables.
Nasheema Ismail
Trained in 2012, Nasheema has a very productive home garden that she harvests from regularly to add nutrients and diversity to her family’s diet.
Nokwekwezi Sithole
Nokwekwezi has used her skills and resourcefulness to create a green oasis that gives hope and inspiration to others in the community. Early in 2022, she and four other Soil for Life trained home gardeners were given a half acre plot by a local school to grow organic vegetables to sell.
Charles Mathlay
Trained back in 2009, Charles has an awesome garden at home and is also employed full-time thanks to his knowledge and skills in natural food growing.
Craig Parker
Craig’s garden is a hot spot for selling quality garden produce to people in the surrounding community. In December 2021, Craig was proud to be awarded first prize for Best Home Gardener in the Pat Featherstone Home Gardener awards.
George Raqu
George has thrown all of his energy into creating a vibrant fruit and veggie garden. He sells from his garden and shares seeds and seedling with the local senior citizen centre.
Hopefield Primary
The magnificent garden at Hopefield Primary supplies veggies to the school’s feeding scheme and is also generating income from sales in the local community.
Buyiswa Mayekiso
Buyiswa has a thriving garden that she harvests from regularly. She loves Umfino (a traditional South African dish made with maize meal, spinach, cabbage and potatoes) and the only ingredient she needs to buy is the maize meal – everything else comes straight from her garden.
Carol Dammert
Carol grows food for her family and has shared her knowledge with households around her which are also growing their own food. Carol says “I can’t just call it my garden anymore because all the people in my family have started helping in the garden”.
Boost Africa Foundation
Boost Africa staff and volunteers were trained and supported in setting up wooden vegetable planters at their development centre in Dunoon. They are using the abundant harvests in their afterschool care programme and are also supplying fresh veggies to crèches and schools in Dunoon.
Abdea Peters
Abdea grows veggies for her household and also has a thriving garden at a crèche she started on vacant land next to her home. The crèche garden provides a welcome supply of fresh veggies to the feeding scheme.
Nicola Maputa
Since completing her initial training with Soil for Life in 2009, Nicola has gone from strength to strength, creating prize-winning gardens wherever she goes. Nicola won our Home Food Gardening Competition two years in a row and grows an incredible variety of vegetables and herbs as well as making compost and keeping earthworms.