Help Feed Hungry Children in South Africa

Dear Supporters,

2020 started off on a high when GVI Trust was busy finalising the schedule for the exciting project at a rural school in Zimbabwe for the implementation of a vermi-aquaponic system. The VA-system is an innovative and progressive solution which provides high yield whilst having limited impact on the environment. This proves to be a perfect system in drought affected regions such as Zimbabwe as the model only uses 10% of the normally required water. With a clear mission in mind, and long conversations with the school, the district council and the social entrepreneurs building it, the construction started in March 2020 in rural Chivi.

When Covid-19 was still a distant issue, the GVI Trust’s Head of Project Development for Africa drove down with our project partners from Harare to a rural school in Chivi, a school located around 14km from a main road, a main road still located far from civilisation. This demonstrates the distance the students must walk daily to be able to access education. The local social entrepreneurs, who are as much innovators as climate change activists, only needed to drive into the school and start working before neighbouring schools, government departments and community members wanted to know the secrets to sustainable and high yield crop production. A secret which the team was more than happy to share, time and time again. 

As it is a secondary school, the government is not providing any food for the students. Due to poverty, the only common food which seemed to have been consumed during school hours was rare, small packages of chips. Research shows that without access to food during school hours, attendance reduces together with the performance inside the classroom. To address this, the VA-system was installed at the school. Thus, rather than using the food which the system produced, the agricultural and commerce students, with the guidance from teachers, will be selling the produce of lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables and for the money purchase more affordable and nutritious food for the students. Making sure the produce has the highest impact at the school. 

To manage this project, the school selected a group of 15 students with a great passion for agriculture and commerce, with three teachers to support to manage the project. To give the group of 15 students and three teachers the greatest opportunity for success, they participated in an income-generation workshop funded by the GVI Trust. The workshop was held to facilitate the group and provide a space where they could together brainstorm how the VA-system was to be managed both financially; what to grow, how to sell, price of the produce and what they want to save up for. The workshop ended with an action plan of responsibilities within the team pointing out everything from who would collect the worms as to who would harvest and sell the cabbage. Whilst it will still be over two months until the school will be able to harvest, we are excited to see what the future holds, with the harvesting but more so of how it will affect the students academic results.

It is with your continued support that we can make an impactful and long-lasting change in the community by tackling the crucial issue of drought. We are grateful for your generosity and it goes without saying that the GVI Trust and all its donors play a vital and essential role in making a sustainable and impacting difference to the lives in Zimbabwe, and the environment which we call home.

Your choice to support what we do in the field daily not only provides financial assistance to the projects but helps to bring hope to the community. We look forward to welcoming new and existing donors to join us on this remarkable journey.

With Gratitude,

Africa Food Security