We wish to ensure that no schoolchild in the communities with whom we work needs to try to study on an empty stomach. We also facilitate learning events in the garden environment which stimulate and consolidate theoretical concepts from the school curriculum together with an attitude of respect and love for animals, plants and the ecological web of life. Thirdly, we aim to promote schools as a community resource where not only children but also the broader community may learn. Finally, we work towards empowering learners, community members, the school governing bodies and teaching staff to know that they can bring about positive, developmental change which will in time benefit the surrounding community.

We face increasing demands for learners and teachers to be trained in permaculture organic cultivation skills at schools in our area. People living in impoverished and/or rural areas are struggling to cope with the increasing stresses of food and fuel prices; a pressure that exacerbates the existing stresses and shocks of poverty and the ongoing struggle for wellbeing in a context impacted by HIV&AIDS.

The programme trains learners at schools in vegetable gardening skills that they can transfer and utilise in their homes and/or communities, while the produce from the school vegetable garden is used to provide healthy meals for the school feeding scheme. This helps to give sick or underfed children at least one balanced meal each day. Learners are also trained in the Agri-planner system of planning cultivation in order to produce more than a household needs so that they can generate an income from selling any excess vegetables they harvest.

As part of its commitment to enabling and celebrating strategies for wellbeing, the Schools Programme will also be training learners to cultivate indigenous and exotic medicinal plants from 2009. This will both enhance the health of the training participants and help to protect indigenous medicinal plants that are becoming endangered through over-harvesting in the wild.  In the spirit of “greening schools” and to provide shading, windbreaks, etc., Umthathi supplies indigenous and fruit trees to participating schools.

The knowledge gained from the training is passed on to family members and neighbours, which plays a significant role in our programmes having a strong and lasting impact on the well-being of the communities we work with.

Each school is part of the programme for a three-year period and includes lessons on:

-      permaculture gardening theory and practical skills (which is environmentally friendly and is not cost intensive),

-        basic business skills (teaching learners how to market excess vegetables using principles that are applicable to any business),

-        group work skills,

-        leadership skills,

-        knowledge about health and nutrition.

Facilitators visit each school on a weekly basis to:

-        teach theoretical concepts,

-        facilitate the planning and planting of the gardens,

-        monitor the learners’ progress and ability to practically apply theoretical concepts in their schools’ vegetable gardens.

Each graduating class is expected to demonstrate an independence from Umthathi (i.e. are able to propagate their own seedlings and maintain their gardens without Umthathi’s assistance) by the end of the three-year programme. Upon graduation from the programme each learner receives a Food Gardening qualification from Umthathi.  Follow-up support does continue if necessary.