Woolworths & EduPlant Programme have been in partnership for 15years and since this partnership, the EduPlant programme has facilitated more than 770 permaculture food gardening workshops reaching over 61 000 educators and thousands of schools. One of the schools which have been selected to be part of this initiative is Philip Kushlick School which is situated at the heart of Soweto, Johannesburg.
The special needs school caters for children with cerebral palsy, moderate physical and intellectual disabilities who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their permaculture garden was established in 2016 and is giving learners the lifelong skill of being able to grow their own food. The One-day workshop will teach learners how to prepare, dig and design beds for planting and divide the learners into small groups focusing on watering, application of compost and mulch, digging holes& planting of trees, seedlings and herbs.
Volunteer groups from Woolworth stores in Benmore Gardens and Morningside Wedge came out in their number & joined the Philip Kushlick School learners in the permaculture food garden in commemoration of World Food Day which is celebrated annually around the world on 16 October in remembrance of founding the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945 as an organization that deals with global food and agricultural issues.
âI think that itâs absolutely fantastic that Woolworths has partnered with this Edu Plant school. What I really love about them is that just because they are special needs school doesnât mean that they should remain isolated and itâs so beautiful that the learners who are attending the school are now going to be learning practical skills of gardening says, Environmental Scientist,Mashao Seabela .
He added that this workshop would also boost their confidence and would provide new skills of how to grow their own food. These workshops are not only designed to upskill the learners abut they also introduce them to the idea of becoming young entrepreneurs who are uplifting the community.
The post EduPlant Programme Participant was invited by Woolworth’s to be a part of this glorious day Phillip Kushlick and just like the learners of this school is was also a part of programme at the tender age of 10.Seabela says âThere is definitely more that can be done in terms of formal sector to teach people farming skills and make them better farmers especially through education and practical trainingâ.He commends the programme for targeting young learners because he believes that it is much easier to grasp everything at a young age and encourages the South African government to make farming and agricultural studies a bit more fashionable to learners.
Director of Corporate Affairs, Zinzi Mgolodela believes that the EduPlant programme and Woolworth’s  are an excellent example of partnerships that create shared value for all involved. âShared value has to be a real experience, not some clichĂ©, especially in a country where sustainable impacts need to be derived from everyone contributing meaningfully to making a shift, including corporate citizens like us at Woolies says Mgolodelaâ.
The retailer prides itself on providing nutritious food to people and has made a commitment to #zerohunger future by reducing food waste through the donation of surplus food to over a thousand charitable organizations across the country.
Environmental Scientist – Mashao Seabela speaking to Social-TV about the Partnership
