The Indoor Sports Centre in Extension 6 was filled to capacity during a World Food Day celebration on Friday.
Learners from various local schools, members of the community and municipal officials joined Umthathi Training Project (UTP) in the celebration.
The Indoor Sports Centre in Extension 6 was filled to capacity during a World Food Day celebration on Friday.
Learners from various local schools, members of the community and municipal officials joined Umthathi Training Project (UTP) in the celebration.
Marlene Mitchener, the director of UTP says that the aim of World Food Day is "to raise awareness of the circumstances of millions of people in the world who are going hungry every day".
Mitchener says in the Eastern Cape, with a population of 7 million people, 7 out of every 10 people live below the bread line.
This means that they live on less than R6 per day. "These people are hungry every day and not enough is being done to help them," she said.
She also congratulated Riebeeck East Combined School for cultivating a good garden which not only feeds the laerners but produces seedlings which are given to learners to start their own gardens at home.
The same gesture was repeated when each learner at the event was given a plant to take home. These included beetroot, onion and spinach.
According to Michelle Griffith, Africulture Coordinator, "the plants indicates the proportion of how many hungry people there are in the world." Vegetables were also sold at affordable prices to locals who attended the celebration.
Traditional healers who fall under the Makana Traditional Practitioners also shared their experience of being involved with UTP.
"Through Umthathi we are able to plant our own herbs for healing people," says Ntombizodwa Mamani, a traditional healer.
Members of the community were guided on different ways of gardening even if they don’t have a garden at home.
One of the methods of gardening on a small scale was using a wheelbarrow or an old tyre to plant herbs and tomatoes.
While the learners were becoming impatient and disruptive, Municipal Manager Ntombi Baart encouraged them to focus on the issues discussed as gardening is not only for old retired people but for everyone.
"We must encourage our children to learn about the importance of gardening," said Baart. She also said that the celebration came at a bad time in Makana due to the recurring water problems but she urged members of the community to form partnerships in order to fight hunger.
Other gardening aspects that were included in the programme were about nutrition, cultivation and medicine.
Learners were also given an opportunity to celebrate the day through performances such as drum majorettes by Samuel Ntsiko learners, choral music, traditional dance and marimba music provided by Gadra members.
