Dorcas Aid helps community grow

The world around us harbours much disparity, inequality and poverty, which calls for a response. For the past 15 years Dorcas Aid has remained a beacon of hope, dedicated to taking up the call to help alleviate suffering through actively working to bring about change and social reform.

Dorcas Aid is an NPO reaching out to the poor and vulnerable by partnering with other community-based charities. They provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, blankets, household goods and material aid to help families get back on their feet.

According to Lionel Cohen from the organisation, they are currently juggling seven community projects. A few of their bigger projects are their soup kitchen – which feeds from 160 persons three times a week, their free laundry services for the less-privileged community, their charity shop and of course their computer training course.

Since Dorcas is acutely aware of the hardship among the poor and of the growing food insecurity in less-privileged communities, they will now be focusing on their upcoming gardening project.

They try to host this two-day workshop at least once a month for 12 persons in efforts to equip less-privileged community members with the skills and knowledge they need to grow and maintain a food garden.

“We teach them how, what and where to plant. On the first day we go over the theory and on the second day we do the practical part. We teach them the permaculture technique which means that everything works together as a natural ecosystem – from fruit and veggies to herbs, and even farming with chickens,” Lionel explained.

Upon finishing the workshop, each participant will receive a certificate of attendance as well as a bucket with some hand tools and seedlings to lift their spirits and boost their gardens.

“We want to teach them to sustain these gardens. They then have the option to eat from it or sell it in order to become self-sustainable. The project aims not only to teach individuals to garden, but to establish community gardens serving as hubs from which groups of beneficiaries can work together to restore a sense of community-mindedness and self-esteem,” Lionel said.

The next workshop is expected to take place on October 28 and 29 at Dorcas Aid in Florida. For more information, feel free to contact them on 011 672 9669 or send an email to fundraising@dorcas.co.za.