A hungry child cannot be expected to learn or concentrate a full day at school like other children who have access to a full meal in the morning and at midday. Unfortunately this is the reality with many children.

Recently, an edible garden was planted at Observatory Junior School in Cape Town that brings nearly 10kg of fresh produce every day. This produce will be shared amongst three schools in the area, namely Dryden Primary School, Mary-Kihn Primary and Observatory Junior School, contributing to the lunch made for learners at school, every day.

The garden will also be used as an educational resource centre, teaching learners to plant and grow their own food as well as harvest. It teaches the learners an appreciation for quiet, meditative, slow time when weeding or feeding the garden.

The garden includes 40 different varieties of vegetables and herbs – aubergine, tomato, spinach, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, beetroot, rosemary, thyme, basil and many more.

We were invited to attend the first harvest of this growing garden. The vegetables and herbs were picked beforehand and a deliciously healthy spread was set up for us to enjoy. The learners seemed proud of the success of their garden and beamed with joy.

The garden is funded by MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet in partnership with Woolworths Financial Services and the actual garden was installed by Urban Harvest.

Text: Taugheedah Abdullah Jacobs
Images: Supplied