VIASEN SOOBRAMONEY
WHAT started out as an experiment quickly became a poverty alleviation project which evolved into a sustainable, environmentally friendly project with many positive spin-offs for the community.
Witteklip Secondary School in Chatsworth once had a reputation of being notorious for violence, drug use, and endemic behavioural issues.
Today, the school stands out as a beacon of hope for a community that has been ravaged by the often disastrous effects of poverty and drug abuse.
Through their community outreach project, Welfare of Witteklip (WOW), the school has managed to produce a sustainable farming initiative that has benefited hundreds of disadvantaged pupils at the school as well as the community.
Indran Pillay, a teacher at the school said: “The idea started out when one of the school’s pupils told me he needed money to buy bread and milk.
“I was previously given some dhania seeds and I suggested to this pupil that we plant a bed of dhania and to see what would come, that it could earn us some money. To our surprise, we sold the dhania and made a considerable amount of money. It was then that I realised that this could be a viable initiative for others in a similar situation.”
Pillay said previously the area on which the farm was situated was severely polluted as residents used it as a dumping ground.
“Our project involved cleaning up the area, developing an irrigation system by making use of a stream that ran through the field and the cultivation of crops.
“With the help of the Imagine Durban project and the eThekwini municipality, we were able to build a dam and set up an eco-friendly pump mechanism to water the fields.”
At any given time, the school's farm would consist of a variety of vegetables such as spinach, dhania, radish, mint and tomatoes. These vegetables are then harvested and sold to local fresh produce retailers and to the public.
The money generated from these sales is split between the school, the pupils and community members that work on the farm.
“The initiative is a win-win situation for the school, the pupils, and the community. Besides being environmentally friendly, the project also allows the community to become financially empowered and we see it as an opportunity to work with nature rather than against it.
“In the lead-up to COP17, this project has become our means to highlight ways in which communities can survive without damaging the environment. This project identifies with those ideals,” said Pillay.
One of the students who benefited from the project is 16-year-old Pacino Subramoney.
“Besides the monetary gain, the project has moulded me into a responsible individual. It has made me develop a passion for farming and for caring for the environment. The project is assisting the people working on it by making them self sufficient.
“We work hard and reap the benefits of our labour,” said Subramoney.
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