It’s a pig’s life on the Dolphin Coast
The founders of the Smile With Us centre and NGO were struggling to keep the centre afloat when they happened to hear about a successful pig farming project.
A passion for changing lives in the impoverished community of Frasers outside Ballito has led to an unusual but successful venture into pig farming.
The founders of the Smile With Us centre and NGO, Mervin Veerasamy and gogo Levina Mathumbu, were struggling to keep the centre afloat when they happened to hear about a successful pig farming project in Osindisweni near Verulum.
“I realised that there is a lot of wasted vegetables and food that gets thrown away from supermarkets and restaurants. I thought we could use this to feed the pigs,” said Veerasamy.
He said they met with Clare and Dylan Skewis and told them about their idea. They were keen to see them succeed and donated six pigs in January, and today they have two sows with 11 piglets, 11 young pigs and one boar.
“My husband organised a golf day on his birthday last December and the money we raise was used to help Mervin. We thought they deserve the help because they are doing such a good job and they don’t get much funding,” said Clare.
Veerasamy said he is still learning how to take care of the pigs but so far he is enjoying the experience.
“They do eat a lot though! I do not think we could have coped without the support of The North Coast Courier Orphan Fund. Thank you for helping us with the required food. Otherwise, we rely on the wasted food we collect from different stores and homes within our area.”
Veerasamy said before they started pig farming, they had attempted to do the same with chickens but that the enterprise was a lot more expensive to run. They plan to use the money they make to extend their hall and build a proper kitchen for the centre.
Currently Smile With Us feeds about 200 children daily and there are 12 volunteers who help to prepare food and feed the pigs. The centre also runs a homework centre, a soup kitchen, women empowerment programmes and ‘soup on wheels’ for those who are too infirm to leave their homes.
Contact Mervin at 072 741 1239
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