RAVENSMEAD / BELHAR
B u r g e r E-pos: tyger@dieburger.com
Woensdag 13 Junie 2012
Tel: 021 910 6500
Faks: 021 910 6501
)Veg garden brings residents together
A community blooms
Volunteers in Clarke Estate in one of the gardens in the Green Grow project admire their handiwork.
GARY VAN DYK
A greening project in the community is showing a harvest beyond the fruits and vegetables growing in Clarke Estate. In March this year the ambitious Green Grow project was launched in the area to utilise vacant fields in the area for the growth of fruit
and vegetables. As the fields in the area take shape the organisers have noticed that growth is not just taking place in these fields that are being cultivated – the community is growing together as a force that wants to build their neighbourhoods into beacons of positivity. Mercia Wagenstroom, of the Masikhane Youth Development Fo-
rum (YDF) spoke with passion about the difference that the project was making in the community, especially among the youth. “The community and youth are looking at a future that is greener than their past,” she said. “They are looking beyond these fields that were once rubbish heaps and experiencing how they can make a positive change in their own
lives. “The community has realised that this project is making a big difference in their lives so they have bought into it completely by standing together to protect it.” Reshard October, also from YDF, pointed out that since starting they have cleared the area that was designated in Clarke Estate and so far planted crops like lettuce, cabbage,
onions, carrots, peas and beetroot. “Lekker soup vegetables,” he says beaming with pride. “The important thing is that the adults in the area are taking pride in what they are achieving. They have even taken the trouble to explain to the youngsters why they must respect the plants that are growing in this project. . To page 2.