My Dignity Restored Shelter for Abused Women and Children (MDR) works in Botshabelo in the Free State. Mrs Makgauta JaneMoloi-Malefaneregisteredtheorganisationin2018.Asa survivorofdomesticabuseherself,andthroughherworkasa spiritual councillor Makgauta understood the challenges faced by abused women in Bostshabelo. She often took in survivors, ranging from young girls to older women with children,whentheyrantoherhouseseekingshelterfromtheir abusersandfearingfortheirlives.Makgautadecidedtofocus on raising awareness among women and children on issues of abuse. These were initially done ad hoc, during sermons, societymeetingsandwomen’sgatherings.
In 2019 she decided to join hands with three other women. One of the these was a young mother of three children who had sought shelter at Makgauta’s house. This young woman was brutally beaten by her husband Although she had been counselled to open a case of assault she would not lay chargesagainstherhusband–withoutanincomeoraplace ofherownshecouldnotprovideforherchildren.
MDR was formed to provide shelter to women and children who are victims of abuse, to offer support to survivors of abuse and to help them regain their sense of dignity and respect.
Wherewe comefrom withthe food gardening idea...
Jane: My Dignity Restored (MDR) food garden initiative started with seven women, all of us coming from tough backgrounds of abuse. We initially came together to turn a barren piece of land into a garden that could support us. Despite our hard work, progress was slow because we didn't have the right tools or a tractor. As time went on, more women joined our effort, sharing the same challenges and emotional stress, constantly worrying about having enough to eat. These early struggles show our determination before we got helpfromtheFoundationforHumanRights(FHR).Theirsupportfinallyallowed us to make some significant progress in our farming efforts. The journey is still longbutweareonthepath.Letmetellyouhowthisjourneybegan,thereality ofchallengesanddespair,aswellasourhopesanddreams.
Tobehonest,gardeninghasalwaysbeenmypassion,andIusedtoworkinthe DepartmentofAgriculture,along-timeago...butotherthanthat,asagroupof sevenwomenwhowerenotworking,westartedthegardenproject.Thesetwo ladies joined after me and others, and it was very hard because we all came frombackgroundsofabuse.Asyouknow,thelandwestartedwithwasdry.We tried, but it wasn't moving forward. We have wanted to start the agriculture project for a long time. It was difficult trying to work on that land with just our ownstrength,withouttoolsandatractortotillthesoil.Wewouldgotothefield andcomebackwithlittleprogressformorethanthreeyears.Thiswentonuntil we got funding from the Foundation for Human Rights. Some of these things you may not know. I just want to be honest with you. I was emotionally lost, waking up every morning without a plan, feeling like I had no purpose. My dreams and plans when I started this project were growing food for us and havingsomesurplustoselltothemarket.Ialsothoughtofhavingsomewayof packing so that we can preserve veggies that can be served even out of season.Iwasalsohopingthatwecouldhaveourownfarm.
Merriam: When we arrived, for me it was a little bit better because there were already tools to cultivate the land that had been bought with FHR funding support. It was still difficult to get water from the neighbours. Some neighbours were willing to assist us while others did not want to. Before I joined this project, I felt like my life was ending. There were no other options, I was stressed and thinking too much… it was very difficult. I could not guaranteethattherewouldbeallthebasicsweneededfordailymealsbecauseIdidn’thaveanincome.Ialsohad dreams.;I am a dancer working with the youth. So before joining the garden project, I was at home teaching childrentodancesotheydidnotwanderarou etwogroupsbetweentheagesof7to10and 11 to 16. I wanted to open an organisation tha in my dance project go further in life so they couldavoidtemptationslikedrugs.
Masechaba:LifewasdifficultbeforeIjoinedMDR.Iwasjustsittingathome.Likeanywoman,thereareproblemsin the household. I am a mother, I have kids and a husband, but when you are doing something, your mind is occupied.Beforejoining,Iwasalwaysinthehouse,thinkingtoomuch,feelingstressed,watchingTV,thenusingmy phone and just idling around alone...To be honest, it was hard to get food. It’s very hard to raise money for maize meal,electricity,andveggies,especiallybecausetherearenojobsandnoincome.IfyouhaveR100,it'snotenough forthefamilyandthechildren’sotherneeds.Asamother,Ialsohavedreams.Ialwayswantedtohavesomething that belongs to me, a small business. I sew and bake. I am gifted with my hands...working in the garden was also hard.Irememberhowitwasinthebeginning,makingthegardenbeds...Iremembercarryingtwo20litresofwater tobringtothegarden.Imagine,carryingthewaterbottlesoverandoveronlytowaterasmallspace,waterwasa challenge.Itisstillaproblemnowbutit’salittlebitbetter.Wehopeinthefuturethiswaterproblemwillbesolved.
Wenowhave oneless thingto worry about...
Masechaba:Thishasreallychangedmylifealot,notjustformebutforthe neighbours as well. They are starting to get closer to me because I am growingfood.Weliveinanunbelievablypoorenvironment,sothisprojectis asignofhope…theycometomeandsayhereisR10;canIbuythecabbage fromyou?Iusethatmoneytobuyelectricity,thenthenextonecomesand buysmyonionsforanotherR10,Itakethattobuyanotherthinglikewashing powder;towashtheclothesandstayclean...sothislittlebitofmoneyfrom thesalesallowsmetobuythingsIneed.
Merriam:Itissucharelieftobeabletotaketheproducebackhometothe kids.IstartedtohavehopeafterjoiningMDR,evenifthingsarenotperfect now, but there is hope... before there were no jobs, no salary or any hope, nowIfeellikethereisafuture.Ihadtoworryabouteverything,allthebasic foods for the family such as the mealie meal, veggies and electricity. But now one thing is covered from the garden. The main challenge now is just electricityinmyfamily.
Jane: When you have kids and there is no income, the issue around food becomesthebiggestproblem.Wehadnothingtogiveourkidsintermsof food and income. I am now out of an abusive relationship, but both my current husband and I are not working. When I get R10 from the sale of the veggies, I can buy electricity. I used to depend a lot on my sister, always asking for food and electricity, but now we are growing various veggies, onions,beetroot,andspinach.Therewasthistimemysisterevencalledme tosay‘Haaawww,doyouhaveajob?Youarenotcallingmeaskingforhelp anymore.’ We can put food on the table for the children… things are a bit different than they used to be. Before the food garden project, there was nothingatallwewerejusttalkingaboutbutnotdoinganythingbeneficial. “Therewasthistimemysister
Merriam:Gardening is changing our lives and our family lives. We take meeting up with other women as therapy because we deal with many challenges in our homes. I already feel much better, I feel at peace. I can think clearly and without pressure. I evenfindmyselfspeakingtotheplants.Iwasstressedandthinkingtoomuch,butrightnow,Ifeelalive,IfeellikeIamnotwasting mytime,andIamusingittodosomethingimportantwithmylifeandinthelivesofotherpeople.IhavedignityandIameating healthy-wehittwobirdswithonestone,it’sreallygood.
Jane:Thisgardenprojecthasalwaysbeenonourminds,butwehadnomoneytoreallygetitgoing.Aswomenstrugglingwith GBVitistherapeutictodigandgrow,wegettospeakwiththeplants,andithealsus…mentallyIfeellikeIamanewperson.We also get to talk to each other during work. We have challenges with our children, and we can share these things with other womeninthegarden…thenattheendofthedaywetakesomevegetableshomeforthekidstoeat.Thereareotherbenefitswe see now, like how the project site looks with rows of plants, how we feel physically and mentally from gardening and how the communitytreatsusnowisverygood.
Jane:We have a lot of people struggling with chronic illnesses and at the garden we keep talking about the benefits of eating healthywhiletakingmedications.WehavepeoplelivingwithHIV,strugglingwithTB.Wealsothoughtaboutgrowingsomeherbs that could be sold to the people of Botshabelo. If we can teach people about growing food and these herbs that can improve health,itwouldbewonderfulforourcommunity.
Masechaba:IagreewithJane,nowIamfeelingbetter,andIenjoymeetingotherpeople.Asanelderlywoman,well,I’mnottoo old but I am old (smiling). We are dealing with different types of sicknesses such as high blood pressure, sugar diabetes, so beingintheproject,IfeellikeIamexercisingwhenIwalkfrommyhouseandwhenIwork.Ifeelphysicallyhealthy.BeforeIwas justsittingathome.NowIcanfeelthatmybodyisgettingstrong,andweeathealthyfoodstraightfromthesoil.
Weare addressing and preventing violencein our community...
Jane:I want to talk about abused women and how going to the gardenisaffectingtheirlives.Aswespeak,wehavewomenwho arecomingtoworkwiththeirkids.Westartedaprocesslikeday care, where the ladies in the group take turns caring for the children while others work in the garden. I like this approach of supporting mothers, because we hear of women hurting or abusingchildren.
I think sometimes this comes from the frustration they feel when they feel stuck and can't move or make financial plans while caring for a young child… they are not doing anything to stimulate their mind. We think this project helps these women a lot because they don't have to sit in isolation thinking about things like 'I don't have money to take the child to the clinic' or 'I can't buy food.' We talk a lot while gardening, and these women get support with childcare and see other people who are in similarsituations.
Merriam:Mostwomenareafraidtoreportortalkabouttheirsituationbecauseofthedependencyontheirabusers. They think, “If I talk and leave, how am I going to support myself? What will my children eat? What will my children wear?” This garden has provided an opportunity for women to think about the possibility of independence and providingforthemselves.
Jane: When you were here, you saw a group of boys that were hanging out. I started thinking about the fact that if wecangetacourseongender-basedviolencethatcanassistus,wecanstartbyextendingthisprojecttotheboys and we can start engaging with them to tell us what’s going on with them that leads to GBVF; we can start addressingtherootcauses.Wealsohavewomenwhosehusbandsarenotworking.Thatalsocreatespressureonits own…Maybebringingthemintotheprojectcanhelpthemtofeelthatthereissomethingthattheyareimportantin... Itcanbeanotherwayofhealingfamiliesandhealingourcommunities.
Jane: What we want to see, is that when women are having problems and coming to the shelter, which is the main project of MDR,weshouldbeabletosupplythemwithfood.Theotherthingwe were thinking about is having a container to produce eggs. And having egg laying chickens. We would have vegetables, eggs and chicken.Ontheotherhand,continuingwithtrainingandsupporting communities with the garden project. In terms of the shelter, since we can't keep people in my house anymore, I transferred them to another shelter, but they are temporary shelters...so as I am speaking to you these people are back with their abusive partners. So,weareworkingonthisshelterregulationprocess.
Masechaba: We are already seeing women working on the project with children and they can't afford to pay for Early Childhood Development for their children; I think we can create the official day care in the project; this will help the women bringtheirchildrenwiththemtobecaredforwhiletheyworkintheproject.
Now I go to bed knowing that when I wake up, I will be helping other people and myself. I will specifically talk about this agricultureproject,whatIwantedwastosaytootherwomenin theprojectisthatifourliveschange,wewillbeabletochange other people’s lives positively. The other thing I want to talk about is dignity, as a woman, not being able to provide for yourself takes away your dignity. So, I want to say that as womenwecanprovideforourselves...Maybeifyouallowmeto gofurther,IfeellikeIhaverestoredthedignityofmyfamily.
Merriam: When people from the community meet us, they ask meaboutthevegetables,Ibringthemtheirspinachwhenthey needit,soweareknownaspeoplewhoareinvolvedingrowing food. As a group, we are now seen as important members of the community, and we can really see the progress of our efforts…Iseetheyrespectme,theyseetheuniformandseethis project as something important. People think I am doing well, eventhoughIstillhavenoincome.Mycommunityrespectsme as someone who is adding value to the community, and they also think I am already farther in my success than I am at the moment. I am seen as someone who is fighting for her future andthefutureofherfamily.
“Thisproject
“IfeellikeIhaverestoredthedignityofmyfamily.”
Jane:Merriammentionedsomethingabouttheuniform,wenowhaverespect inthecommunity.Peoplecometotheprojectsiteandsomeofthemareeven buying from us. Even people who were sceptical, saying this is not going to work come to us asking how we are doing in the garden, how did we do it? Dependency takes away your dignity, asking neighbours for food takes away yourdignity.Someofusdependonthehusbandandthatsometimesleadsto emotionalabuse.
Jane: In my opinion, agriculture is the only field that will not fade away in the long run. If we can get to a point where everyone is planting food, it will be great... to be honest, we are overpopulated, and we can't rely on the government and other businesses to provide for us. So, if we can get to a point where everyone in Botshabelo has a backyard garden, I will say we have achieved whatwewant.
Masechaba: Most of our youth are lazy and don't think of gardening as potential work. They want to take care of their nails and look clean, so working in the garden is not their thing. But what I have noticed through the training withtheExpandedPublicWorksProgramme(EPWP)isthat thereareyoungpeoplewhoarewaymorededicatedthan I expected. They see the project as something successful in the community, and they are changing their minds about gardening as a potential job. They can see that workinginthegardenisnotasbadastheyexpected.Isee that in the future, they will consider gardening and agriculture as potential career options to support themselves. They will also realise that agriculture will always be around. Even with the threat to job security because of the internet, we are not going to garden through the internet. Food gardening will always be there, whetherwelikeitornot,becausepeopleneedtoeat.
Jane:I want to see young people choosing agriculture as a career, earning salaries, and proudly teaching others in the community about food gardening. When I lose young people, I get stressed because I dream of them becoming extension officers in the community. Botshabelo is big, so I hope that the young people can reach the broader community, teaching people to establish backyard gardens.Iwouldliketoseetheseyoungpeopleinvolvedin theprojectinawaythatgeneratesincome.
Merriam: As a young person, gardening is generally far fromus,butitcanchangeourlivesandourfamily’slives.
Learningandsharingfrom ouractivities...
Merriam:Ohhh,nowtherearelotsofchangesontheprojectsite!Eventhequantityofourplantingbedshasincreasedto thatareawherewehadatentduringtheeventwithFordFoundationinMarch.It’sunbelievable,youwon’tbelieveitifyou came now the quality and quantity of our produce has increased, things feel a bit easier, maybe it’s because we have the knowledge now. We are now seen as important people in the community, we can really see the progress of our efforts.
Jane: Regarding the impact on the community, we have trained 21 people from the Red Cross who are now planting in thecommunitygarden,thatmakesusproud.ThewardcouncillorbroughtninepeoplefromtheEPWPprogram,forusto teach them. The goal is that, by the end of the program, they can start their own gardens at home. There is a clear impactonhowthecommunityviewsus.Theyseeouruniforms,whichlookgreatonus—they'rebeautiful—andtheythink wehavealotofmoney(laughs).
Merriam: When I plant at home in my backyard garden, neighbours are curious and want to learn more about permaculturegardening.Iamcurrentlymulchingwithgrass,asIlearnedfromthetrainingwithThomasandMafusi.They didn'tunderstandwhyIwasdoingitbecauseit'sdifferentfromhowpeopleareusedtoplanting.Nowtheywanttolearn andtrythesemethodsintheirownhomes.
Jane: We know that most people don't know the benefits of eating vegetables, they think that if you are eating vegetables,itisbecauseyouarepoor.Wewanttospreadtheknowledgethatsomeonewhoeatsvegetablesistheone whoisrichinhealth.Thiswillbeasignofachievementonourside.
Jane: Income is a difficult issue, and it worries me as the project leader. It’s true that we are benefiting physically and mentally,butfinancially,itisstillabigchallenge. Weknowthatweneedtoworkmoreonthisprojecttomakesureitgives us an income, and to be beneficial for the people we are training. For example, the ward councillor has brought people fromtheEPWPprojecttobetrainedbyMDR,thesepeoplearepaidbythegovernment.AllofusatMDRarestilltryingtolive off the income generated from the project, which is not enough for our families. We are very happy about sharing the knowledge, but I worry that if people don’t see progress in MDR, they will leave to look for opportunities where there are financialrewards.Itwillbegreatifwecanmakeitprofitable.
Merriam: I see a great future for the project, it will change our families, and we will earn income and become important figures in the community… as people who are producing healthy foods. We will be seen as the youth that never gave up buttriedtodosomethingwithourlivesandtolivepurposefullives.Iplant,andIcarryouteachtaskwithmymind,body, andsoul,regardlessoftheincomesituation.Thisisalong-termprocessforus;theincomewillcome,evenifit'snotright now,butthereishopethatitwillhappen.Idowhatneedstobedoneformyfutureandthefutureofmychildren.
Wecarefor thelandand our community byusing agroecology methods...
Jane: The project is unique because we don’t use chemicalslikeotherprojectsthatarealsogrowingfood. Wewanttofindourselvesinthepositionofcreatingjobs bydoingfoodprocessingandpackaging.Wehavealso discussed that we want to plant under a greenhouse, it willhelpusirrigateeasily,retainmoisture,andhavethe right temperature for the plants. This idea fits well with our permaculture practices where we avoid using chemicals. Another thing is the idea of growing vegetablesintheschoolproject. Wecansuggesttothe schoolsthattheyincludeonehourofgardeningintheir schoolcurriculum.
Jane: As we learn from the kiosk, we are looking at which crops areindemandandcangiveusincomeonanongoingbasis.We are thinking of planting two types of vegetables (like cabbage andspinach)thatwecangrowthroughouttheyearknowingthat there is a market for them. This can benefit us because Botshabeloisabigarea,thesevegetablescanbeprofitableifwe sell them in bulk. The idea is that these two commodities will be what MDR is known for throughout the community. On the other hand, we also know that if we grow only these two vegetables that can affect our nitrogen in the soil, because the site we are planting on is very small. We need to see if the department and municipality can help us get a bigger piece of land so we can plant more and hopefully go into the formal market to generate sustainableincome.
Merriam:Toadd,Ithinkweneedtoworkwiththecommunityand adapttotheirneedsbecauseweknowtheeconomicchallenges hereinBotshabelo.Ourproduceneedstobecheaperthanthose in the markets so that the community can afford them, in that way they will always buy the produce and become healthy. Our kioskisrunningwell,andpeoplearecomingfortraining.Itopens ontheprojectsiteandthetradinghoursarefrom8a.m.to4p.m. We only allow one person at a time to come in; once they leave, we allow another person to enter. We sell spinach, beetroot, beans,potatoes,andonions.
Masechaba: As Merriam mentioned, there is a lot of progress in ourgarden,thekioskhasstartedeventhoughit’snotsobusyyet becausepeopleareonlygettingtoknowaboutit.
Merriam: I won't say it's easy. As a group of women, we have different characters. There will always be some misunderstandings and conflicts, but what I like about us is that we discuss things, show each other our mistakes, and move forward. It's not easy. In the end, we want the same things.Ourcharactersaredifferent,butwekeepmovingforward.
Masechaba: Yes, it’s true there are challenges, but we have a way of addressingthem.Whenthereisanissue,wegotoMamJane,tellherthat we have a specific problem, how do you think we can address it? Right now,weworkinsmallgroupswhichhelpstoaddressconflict.Ourgroups aremadeupofmixedages,whichwefindisveryhelpful.Werealisethat when people of the same age group work together, they tend to have moreconflict.Wealsorealisedthatwhenweworktogetherasonegroup, there is no progress, but now as a small group there seems to be more accountabilityandrespect.
Working throughour challenges...
Merriam: Our main problem is water. If the municipality can assist us with a borehole, that would be ideal. We are using a Jojotank,whichisnotverygoodforwhatweneed.Weneeda boreholetocreateanirrigationsystemthatwillprovidewater as needed. This way our produce can remain green all year round.Thiswouldbeabigsteptowardsourdreamgoals.
Jane: As a project leader, there are challenging things when trying to build a team for the long term. As mentioned, we created mixed groups to address conflict. We also talk when things come up in the group. Due to income challenges, the young people from our group are looking for other opportunities and these opportunities are created through their involvement in the MDR project. Recently we had this young person who helped to mobilise the group for the Red Cross. After we had trained her, we then allocated her to go and mentor that Red Cross group. From there, Red Cross offered her to continue with their project with a salary, they even offered her an opportunity to go to Australia so she will beleavingusverysoon.
Jane:The other thing is that we will be operating with less people because 5 people from our group are joining another NGO which is going to offer them a stipend of R4000, they are going to do the same thing with the experience from MDR but now they will be getting money. So,wewillbestruggling…thosewhoareleftbehindarealso raising their ears knowing that other people are leaving to getanincome.
Masechaba: I want to add to what Merriam was saying. We also need a tractor. It's not easy to till the land physically. There's a piece of land that's completely dry, andweneedtoturnthesoilsothatwecanalsoplantonit. Havingatractorwouldmakeiteasierforustoworkonit.
Jane: The main challenge with the garden now is around winterbecausewecan'tsellasmuchaswedidinsummer.
Jane:I have a short-term goal and a long-term goal, starting with us benefiting from the project. Seeing our family lifeisimproving,andwearesharingaboutagroecologywithourchildrensothattheyareinspiredtocometoworkin thegardenandseethevalueofthiswork.Also,wewanttoearnmoney.
Merriam:Mydreamnowandgoingforwardisforustogrowintoabigorganization.Iwanteveryonetohavetheirown offices right on this project site that started as a one room shack. I want all the ladies involved as CEO, HOD, COO…I wantthesitetobebusy,withourveggiesbeingsuppliedtoSparandPicknPay,andourcarsparkedoutside.Wewill be proud to know that we started with a small shack but now we have nice offices with our names on the doors, I wanttoseethisprojectreallygrow.
