Page 50 - SDG Report

FEEDING PROGRAMME
The food provision for homeless is managed by Linda Morrison from We Are Durban which engaged different NGOs to donate and cook food for the homeless in the lockdown shelters.
On average about 5 000 meals are prepared, with each site fed three or four times per day. Food preparations takes place at different NGO’s facilities which are also inspected by Environmental Health for compliance. With Level 1 recently introduced homeless people are now encouraged to leave sites to secure employment or collect social grants so that they can be able to support themselves.
Several successful gardening programmes are being run at homeless shelters established by the City during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Pictures: BUSISWA CHILIZA)
At three of the homeless shelters, residents started their own gardens to grow vegetables. They shared their stories about how the shelters have offered them a new lease of life. At the Jewish Shelter, situated behind the Elangeni Hotel on Durban’s beachfront, a group of 13 homeless people called their programme ‘Clean Green and Safety Garden’ which they started in June 2020.
The team grew mostly green vegetables including lettuce, spinach, chillies as well as tomatoes. As their crops thrived, they included new plants such as granadillas. They also want to donate some of their produce to the community to show them that they have truly turned their lives around.
The second gardening site is situated in Greyville which started in July and is also progressing well. The programme comprises of eight members, one of them is responsible for flowers seedlings while the other seven focus on growing spinach, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, and sugar.
At the Lahee Park Shelter in Pinetown, the gardening programme comprises of six males and four females who grew spinach, green beans, onions, and tomatoes.
To better capacitate the homeless, Farming God’s Way and Gibbor non-governmental farming organisation provided skills training such as new and innovative ways of planting and both
“ As their crops thrived, they included new plants such as granadillas.”
48 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS GOOD PRACTICE