Munsieville – the township where homestead gardens thrive

The Thoughtful Path project, which was started in Munsieville, is focused on creating a healthier and safer community for children to grow up and thrive in.

One of the most important ways in which this is being done, is by providing training for women – the mothers, grandmothers and carers of the children – to grow their own vegetables at home.

These training sessions are all conducted at Hope Park, the project’s centre, which is home to a communal food garden. Since 2010, it has led to the establishment of home food gardens throughout the community, which produce an array of vegetables and even herbs.

Having these vegetables readily available in their own gardens, the women are able to keep their families healthy and save money at the same time.

As far as the herbs are concerned, Betty Nkoana said that a number of the homestead gardens are now also producing their own mint and rosemary – herbs that were considered luxury items by many before.

A few of the women have also started selling their produce, generating a much-needed income, and one has even launched a roaring business specialising in the sale of rosemary sticks!

Upon hearing about The Thoughtful Path’s amazing work, Checkers decided to partner with these remarkable women. Through its implementation partner, Foods & Trees for Africa, Checkers arranged for the project members and an additional 398 women from the Munsieville community to receive ongoing permaculture training.

Community members often share tools and don’t always have seed saved from the previous season. As such, they were also equipped with a few gardening essentials, including watering cans, seedlings and seeds.

Three permaculture training workshops have taken place so far this year, with another 15 scheduled for the next few months.