Grannies who grow and nourish communities
The programme empowers gogos in Wentworth to put their green fingers to good use while providing means to put food on the table.
GRANDMOTHERS. The backbones of society, who not only possess a wealth of wisdom, but also a remarkable spirit of grit that is bound to inspire.
It is such qualities that inspired the formation of the Grandmother’s Movement in South Africa (GMISA) organisation, which has grown beyond the founders’ expectations and through Blue Roof Life Space, as a partner organisation, has expanded its roots in the community of Wentworth.
Following a historic three-day ‘Grandmother’s Gathering’ in Durban in July 2016 – an event supported by the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF), an idea to establish a grandmother’s movement in South Africa emerged.
During the gathering, grandmothers from across South Africa and beyond attended workshops and discussed their concerns and rights, shared experiences, and identified their needs.
Grandmothers wrote a joint statement to call on government and civil society groups to formally recognise the rights of all grandmothers. Two years later, GMISA developed from being an idea to a national structured organisation that is supported by an elected executive committee of seven grandmothers.
One of GMISA’s thriving projects, Grannies Who Grow, is a community vegetable farming sustainability project which seeks to empower and enrich the lives of grandmothers in communities.
Bringing the project closer to home, Blue Roof will take the project to Malibongwe Grannies in Wentworth as well as recruit grandmothers of the community into the project through a training and mentorship programme on all things agriculture to upskill and mentor them through the process of setting up their own vegetable and herb gardens.
“A love for farming and vegetation comes naturally to grandmothers. It is a way of life for many where they thrive in reaping food that will nourish their souls as well as feed their families.”
“The Grandmothers Who Grow project is the empowerment and encouragement for them to partake in society.”
“In a time where food security and mental health are major concerns this initiative not only puts food on the table but also serves the best therapy.”
“I’m so excited to see the impact of gardening on our local grandmothers,” shared the project coordinator and secretary of GMISA, Hombisa Ntsikanye.
Keep a Child Alive (KCA) has also come on board to raise funds for the project. There are also plans to secure a plot of land, with the assistance of the ward councillor, for a communal garden that will feed many Wentworth families in need.
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