Starting a Permaculture Food Garden With Pride n' Purpose

Daniel shares seedlings with community members

PRIDE AND PURPOSE, VIRGIN UNITE AND DANIEL CHITUNGO (FOOD AND TREES FOR AFRICA) START A FOOD GARDEN AND PLANT TREES IN NEWINGTON VILLAGE On the 23rd of April 2009 community members of Newington Village near Sir Richard Bronson Private Game Reserve in Mpumalanga Province came together at their nursery that they named Pride and Purpose to start a food garden, construct a building for the children as well as create a play center, with the help of the delegates from Pride n’ Purpose and Virgin Unite. The project was sponsored by Virgin Unite through Pride N’ Purpose and the community members saw it fit to name the project after the sponsor. The Food & Trees For Africa’s Senior Project Officer, Daniel Chitungo led the establishment of a permaculture food garden and planting of trees in the nursery yard. The local headman (Induna) Mr Knight Nyathi was asked to call the local community members so that they work with the visitors and he happily did so. In a few minutes more than 30 local women, men and children gathered to work with the visitors. Vegetable beds of different designs were made, compost applied, mulch applied onto the beds and vegetable seedlings were planted. The mature vegetables were intended to feed the children at the nursery as well as orphans and vulnerable children, community members with terminal diseases and those affected by poverty in the village. Shade trees were also planted around the premise. It was a hive of activity as the planting of vegetables and trees was done with the community members and the delegates learning skills from the FTFA Senior Permaculture Project Officer. Community members were excited to receive vegetable seedlings to go and plant at their own homes (see photo). Lindsay Hanekom, Manager of Pride n’ Purpose said, “I cannot even begin to explain the GREAT feedback we received about Daniel!” These were some of the comments from the delegates “What a great man of the earth!” “This gentleman is a true present day hero – coming into communities, imparting with knowledge that is being used for sustainable projects.” “Wow – he just waltz in here, gives great knowledge and passion on his gardens and then waltz out going onto the next project to save the world.” So a very BIG THANK YOU from all of us at Pride ‘n Purpose and Virgin Unite for your great passion and love for what you do Daniel! – You alone are truly making a difference. These were the closing words from the Pride n’ Purpose Manager.

Daniel Hosts Virgin Unite

VIRGIN UNITE VISIT PROJECT IN DUMPHRIES VILLAGE AND PLANT TREES

Having been contacted by Lindsay Tite, the Manager of Pride ’n Purpose and informed that the sponsors of the Welani Project intended to visit the Welani/Mahlahluvana project early in January 2009, the Senior Project Officer of Food & Trees For Africa, Daniel Chitungo, in consultation with the FTFA management cut his leave short to attend to the visit. Planting material like trees and compost were purchased and brought on sight and holes for tree planting were dug before the visitors arrived.

On the 8^th of January 2009, 28 delegates from Virgin Unite visited Mahlahluvana Permaculture Project hosted at Mahlahluvana Primary School in Dumphries Village in Bushbuckridge area of Mpumalanga Province. After brief introductions, FTFA pamphlets were distributed and the visitors were willing to share a few pamphlets as opposed to having one for each person. The delegates were addressed by the FTFA Senior Permaculture Project Officer, Daniel Chitungo who briefed the delegation on FTFA’s programmes with emphasis on the carbon standard and the project’s progress. One project member from the community, Mr Xokolo Ubisi addressed the visitors informing them how the community and the learners in particular benefitted from the project and how they appreciated the sponsorship secured from Virgin Unite.

There was a roar of applause when the visitors heard from The FTFA Senior Permaculture Project Officer that they were going to plant trees at the school site as part of the programme on their visit. Daniel and the community members demonstrated on how to plant a tree. The visitors were then put into groups and planted five other trees in the school yard. Danny Pang jokingly said, “I will do tree planting as my second profession”. His lovely very young daughter, Blair Pang, energetically and enthusiastically wanted to experience everything about tree planting and said that she loved tree planting because they have trees at their school. One should have seen the energy she had, even holding the spade, never wanting to be left out of any single activity taking place. She even said that she likes planting trees because at their school there are trees. It was a wonderful experience for the community members, teachers and the visitors to do the tree planting activity bringing them closer to each other for one common goal. The visitors were then taken to the permaculture garden where they saw the different designs with fruit trees, herbs and vegetables before posing for group photographs of the visitors and the hosting project members.

30 January 2009 09:37 AM I have been meaning to write this email for a while now - but I would just like to say a VERY BIG THANK YOU - to Daniel for the 8th January. Daniel did such a superb job and is a great ambassador of Food and Trees for Africa. Thank you for taking the time to spend the day with us and for organizing the trees to be planted! A great day was had! Lindsay Hanekom, Pride 'n Purpose Manager, Pride 'n Purpose - Ulusaba's community footprint, Ulusaba - Sir Richard Branson's Private Game Reserve. Tel. +27 (0) 13 735 5460, C: +27 (0) 83 406 1555, Pride@ulusaba.virgin.com, www.ulusaba.virgin.com, www.virginlimitededition.com