Ideas are constantly flowing and leading to new and exciting initiatives at the HOPE centre in Zandspruit. One of the newest blooming projects is to involve and educate local community members and patients from the HOPE Centre clinic about healthier cooking - through a wonderful smelling and lush herb garden!
The driving force behind this continuously growing project is Project HOPE program coordinator Refilwe L. Maseko who saw an unused space on the premises of The HOPE Centre’s site at Emthonjeni Community Centre and made her vision to help the community into a reality.
“I saw an interest from the community to get involved,
for them to earn a bit extra money and a possibility for further ways to
increase the health awareness that’s already the high focus for the HOPE centre.
We started small but the interest of the garden has been high, so our garden
has grown in to a fantastic lush jungle of herbs.”
Kopano Garden Herbs project
reaps many benefits.
The
Kopano garden has had the benefit of motivating patients and local community
members to use more herbs in their daily food which helps to reduce salt and
spice intake. Additionally, the joy and pride garden members experience working
together on the project has enabled them to maintain a well-run and profitable
group. As garden members sell the produce from the garden, the proceeds are
shared and the extra income each member makes from selling the organic herbs to
the local community has made this project a local success!
“We also teach our patients
about the healthy use of herbs in the food and it’s a possibility to learn how to use these nice smelling and tasting herbs for both
cooking and healing purposes.” – says Refilwe L.
Maseko
Local restaurants now have
the opportunity to buy organic herbs and contribute to the Zandspruit community
The garden team has already branched out
and has started to sell their organic herbs to local restaurants and
organisations. Thus, opportunities for garden members are increasing and the
garden team hopes that increasing interest from restaurants will contribute new
resources and opportunities for income generation to the community of
Zandspruit.
Today the herbs available for sales are; rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, rocket and
sage and within a near future the garden will expand with; garlic, lavender, mint, lemon grass and
lemon balm.
Please contact Refilwe L. Maseko for further information
about Kopano Garden Herbs or for purchasing any of the organic herbs.
Email:
rmaseko@projecthope.org
Phone: 060 66 80 967/ 076 133 84 26
Phone: 060 66 80 967/ 076 133 84 26
