Katutura orphanage gets community garden
TUYEIMO HAIDULA
OSHAKATI
Megameno Orphanage in Katutura’s Shandumbala is the first beneficiary of the Youth in Agriculture Project, an initiative to empower young people with agricultural skills which could open doors to economic, social and food sustainability prosperity.
The Chinese embassy donated irrigation pipes, seeds and gardening tools to the shelter through the initiative under the leadership of founder, Ndatulumukwa Haikali.
Haikali said they launched a community gardening and food systems project in Windhoek, which involves the construction of backyard gardens, enabling space to grow food, provide training, raise awareness about the importance of food production and the transfer of modernised gardening systems.
Jeremia Shaalukeni, who is a team leader at the orphanage, said the garden will help with the flow of food at the shelter as they mostly depend on handouts to feed the children housed there.
He said the shelter, which started in 1989 but was only registered in 2002, currently houses 26 children.
“We depend on sponsorships. It is therefore with great honour and humility that I accept this garden. We also want to commend Youth in Agriculture and its partners such as Chinese embassy for their dedication to improving food systems and promoting food production.
“We previously depended on food donations, but from today onward, we will be able to produce our own food and hopefully expand our garden,” he said.
Productive and profitable
Shaalukeni said the young ones living at the shelter have been and will continue to be trained to maintain the garden as a way of passing on knowledge to them on the importance of gardening.
“It is my hope that these agricultural projects should be seen as small-scale businesses and not as a place for poor people who need handouts.
“To make this vision a reality, we need to channel national and international support into making smallholder agriculture productive and profitable. Only then will smallholders be able to transform themselves into agribusiness entrepreneurs,” he said.
Haikali added that Youth in Agriculture now has 317 members. He said the project is designed to enhance food production and stimulate inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction in rural and urban communities by providing agriculture training, improving access to productive infrastructure and services that are expected to lead to sustainable agricultural production and equitable returns.
“Agricultural businesses can offer a pathway out of poverty, but for this to happen, the public and the private sectors need to work together to support smallholders. There is an urgent need to do even more to promote food security and reduce poverty through sustainable agricultural development,” he said.
[email protected]
OSHAKATI
Megameno Orphanage in Katutura’s Shandumbala is the first beneficiary of the Youth in Agriculture Project, an initiative to empower young people with agricultural skills which could open doors to economic, social and food sustainability prosperity.
The Chinese embassy donated irrigation pipes, seeds and gardening tools to the shelter through the initiative under the leadership of founder, Ndatulumukwa Haikali.
Haikali said they launched a community gardening and food systems project in Windhoek, which involves the construction of backyard gardens, enabling space to grow food, provide training, raise awareness about the importance of food production and the transfer of modernised gardening systems.
Jeremia Shaalukeni, who is a team leader at the orphanage, said the garden will help with the flow of food at the shelter as they mostly depend on handouts to feed the children housed there.
He said the shelter, which started in 1989 but was only registered in 2002, currently houses 26 children.
“We depend on sponsorships. It is therefore with great honour and humility that I accept this garden. We also want to commend Youth in Agriculture and its partners such as Chinese embassy for their dedication to improving food systems and promoting food production.
“We previously depended on food donations, but from today onward, we will be able to produce our own food and hopefully expand our garden,” he said.
Productive and profitable
Shaalukeni said the young ones living at the shelter have been and will continue to be trained to maintain the garden as a way of passing on knowledge to them on the importance of gardening.
“It is my hope that these agricultural projects should be seen as small-scale businesses and not as a place for poor people who need handouts.
“To make this vision a reality, we need to channel national and international support into making smallholder agriculture productive and profitable. Only then will smallholders be able to transform themselves into agribusiness entrepreneurs,” he said.
Haikali added that Youth in Agriculture now has 317 members. He said the project is designed to enhance food production and stimulate inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction in rural and urban communities by providing agriculture training, improving access to productive infrastructure and services that are expected to lead to sustainable agricultural production and equitable returns.
“Agricultural businesses can offer a pathway out of poverty, but for this to happen, the public and the private sectors need to work together to support smallholders. There is an urgent need to do even more to promote food security and reduce poverty through sustainable agricultural development,” he said.
[email protected]
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