Barloworld, Food & Trees For Africa and TEACH SA plant Trees For Arbor

Posted by TEACH South Africa

On September 22, hundreds of children dressed in their smart red and grey school uniforms sat on the playing fields of Phumulani Secondary School in Ekurhuleni South School District – ready to learn about global warming and celebrate the donation of indigenous trees by Barloworld, Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA) and TEACH South Africa.

The school planted two indigenous trees that will provide year-round shade for the learners as well as being hardy and easy to care for.

Richard Masemola, a founding member of TEACH South Africa, said: “This donation is going to help in the motivation of the school and they will see that the partnership [with TEACH South Africa] is working and start believing in the relationship between the public and private companies.

“This also shows the children how to care for the environment, which is a key curriculum issue,” he said.

FTFA is dedicated to teaching South Africa’s children about the effects of global warming and creating environmental awareness and education.

Arbour Month (September) was the perfect opportunity to take this message to children and to give them a practical demonstration of how to offset carbon emissions by planting trees.

Barloworld, a large industrial brand management company, dedicates significant time and resources to supporting educational NGOs and helps to create synergy between various corporate social initiatives.

Thuli Matlala, a Barloworld CSI officer, said: “We provide start-up NGOs with accommodation and help to take that burden off them and we also provide synergy with other organisations that they might find useful.”

Hence the collaboration on this project, bringing together TEACH South Africa and FTFA.

“In Arbour Month we wanted to assist with the greening of the country,” Matlala said.

Deputy school principal Mikes Sepuru said: “We are very proud that you have presented these trees to us today. The biggest challenge facing us is global warming and one way to counter this is to plant as many trees as possible.”

Daniel Chitungo from FTFA said: “Barloworld donated trees and we have worked with Barloworld for a long time to make sure that our environment is clean and green.”

Posted on October 21, 2009

A Glance Into The House

What ever goes into the house has to be quality, from beds to kitchen, to dividers. Everything is put in place slowly but surely. It was a pleasure to save and put up a new kitchen unit for my queen. Beautiful black cherry with a stainless steel defy stove. Matching silverware (expensive pots, bread bins and many other staff) were bought and strategically placed in the units for one to see.

The lounge/dining area was given a beautiful cream color room divider. Great savings and extra work done to buy this beautiful piece of furniture. Worth the sacrifice. Thanks to my queen for insisting and initiating this move.

The bedroom was dressed with a cream, expensive bedroom suit with countless mirrors giving the already large size bedroom an exaggerated image. Walls inside the house are white topped up with a white ceiling also. The Lady of the house takes no chances with any speck of dirt and she is very proud to be influential in the developments at the house. The walls and contents of the house have a heartwarming white and cream colour, brightening the whole house.

The Nest Garden Area

Working in the garden area is a pleasure for me. I plant, plant and plant.

The Chitungo Nest

The property for my love and family is in North Road, Regents Park. It is worth putting efforts I do to improve it at any cost.

Trip To Cape Town

A visit to Cape Town on our honeymoon in May 2008 was quite an experience for both of us. Nomthandazo is my sweetheart. She keeps my heart ticking. She is part of me.

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