The Community Health and Home Garden Project

The Community Health and Home Garden Project was developed to ensure that parents and children have access to nutritional food and herbs to complement i-MED health training as well as the implementation of food sustainability and economic opportunities.

i-MED Africa maintains close relationships with its beneficiaries and is aware of the pressing concern about food insecurity and the adverse impacts of an unhealthy diet. We have set the goal to effectively support and better the lives of underprivileged communities. Due to poverty and unemployment in the communities we serve, it is essential to ensure parents and children have access to nutritional food and herbs to complement training and health education. Children suffering from malnutrition due to parental unemployment and lack of nutritional knowledge need to be addressed by establishing food gardens at their homes and a community garden.

Health Gardens Project Activities - 12 Months (2022)

We are currently in phase 4.

Eluxolweni

Phase 1:

• Community practical training - garden and community training for 30 students

• Basic home garden agriculture

• Basic medicinal plant home remedies

• Basic nutrition

Phase 2:

• Home gardens for the top 20 students that showed the most interest and success (the type of garden will depend on the amount of available space at each home)

Phase 3:

• Entrepreneurship skills training for the top 10 home gardens

Phase 4:      

• Students that successfully finished the skills training course will have the opportunity to be part of the establishment of a micro agri-business, social enterprise development. A drying facility will be installed in an existing vacant container on the premises, equipped with a prep kitchen to process herbs to sell to wholesalers, health shops and local retailers, thus creating value-added products to generate income

Masakhane

Phase 1:

• Community training and home gardens for 20 students

• Basic home garden agriculture

• Basic medicinal plant home remedies

• Basic nutrition

Project Impact

• Change the lives of community residents by creating a platform that provides skills training, support, expertise, inputs, inspiration and economic opportunities, to ensure sustainable sources of food security and income generation for participants and their indirect beneficiaries.

• Create direct health and economic benefits annually for individuals living in poverty in Masakhane and Eluxolweni.

• Agriculture training will improve food security and dietary variety, provide access to nutritional benefits and encourage self-sustainability.

• Incentivise individuals to work together as a unit, breaking down social barriers and integrating with the wider community.

For more information, contact i-MED Africa.