Soil for Life, which was established in 2002, works to assist communities to overcome poverty, hunger, and unemployment by teaching individuals how to grow their own food using environmentally sound methods. The organisation also equips them with knowledge regarding health and nutrition, and assists them to gain skills with which to generate income from their gardens.
The organisation works closely with local communities, NGOs, local councils, and government in the development and implementation of sustainable food gardening schemes within target communities. Beyond this, Soil for Life runs education and training workshops in small-scale organic food production.
The majority of this work is filtered through the Food Growing Enterprises and Home Food Gardening Programme. Each year, the organisation reaches approximately 500 new gardeners and 700 existing gardeners. Further, each home gardener involved in the programme supports approximately six beneficiaries and therefore Soil for Life's programme overall is assisting close to 8400 people.
Since 2007, the Chairman's Fund has provided funding to the organisation, and more recently has provided support towards the core running costs of the Food Growing Enterprises and Home Food Gardening Programme. This funding has bolstered the organisation's home food gardening and life skills training, as well as monitoring and support of beneficiary gardens.
Soil for Life director, Pat Featherstone, notes that the Fund's financial support has proved invaluable to the organisation's advancement and the economic empowerment of its beneficiaries. "Every bit of funding that we receive is important to us as a non-profit organisation, and the Anglo American Chairman's Fund's support has been vital to us as we have managed to expand our projects' impact.
"Ultimately, the fund assists us in providing a service to humanity, by allowing us to effect a major impact in the communities in which we work."
Chairman's Fund chairperson, Norman Mbazima, concludes that Soil for Life's activities are consistent with the fund's overall commitment to poverty eradication. "Anglo American is completely committed to community upliftment initiatives, and supporting organisations that make a real and lasting difference in poverty nodes is a central aspect of the Chairman's Fund's philosophy.
"We are therefore proud to support Soil for Life as they are making a profound difference in ensuring sustainability and deep social change for people living in these communities," says Mbazima.
For more information, go to www.soilforlife.co.za.
