Hearts of Healing

With my abstract and first body of literature submitted and pending, the heart event we attended last week, sponsored by Jeff's company, served as a welcomed reprieve from work. On Thursday, we travelled to the Zanokhanya Childrens Home in the Kayelitsha township to build a food tent that will provide nutritious vegetables to the 25 orphans who live there. All of the children who live at the home have been orphaned by HIV and many of them are HIV+ themselves. What struck me at the orphanage was the way the women of Kayelitsha banded together to communally care for the kids. They dont have much in terms of a facility, but these children receive a lot of love from the women of the township. During the day, women come to the orphanage with their children to help care for the kids. As a result, you cant really tell which children are orphans and which children are accompanied by parents.

We began the day by splitting the volunteers into 2 groups; group 1 worked on erecting the tent itself, while group 2 worked on the plant bags.

Why build food tents?
Food tents provide the opportunity to supply rural communities with nutritious, free food that otherwise would not be able to grow in the harsh environment of that particular region. Kayelitsha is located in the cape flats, which is composed of unconsolidated sand; that is, the township was built on sand dunes. As a result no edible plant life can be sustained in this area.

How does the food tent work?
Black potting bags are stuffed with sawdust, topped with the soil, and the plant itself is then inserted into the middle. The sawdust absorbs the water serving as a reservoir for the roots of the plant in the bag. Furthermore, the sawdust decomposes providing nutrients to the topsoil that a potted plant would ultimately run out of. The plant bags are then placed in the food tent, which protects them from the wind and sand that blankets the township.

What made the unveiling of this particular food tent grand was the attendance of Hearts primary donor, the Prince of Lichtenstein (pictured below).Prince Max arrived as the tent itself was erected and helped carry our potted plants into the tent. He then took a tour of the compound and gave a moving speech. Prince Max has just pledged another R20 million to Heart.

In addition to the spinach and cabbage being grown inside the tent, the home will also be growing potatoes through a similar system that uses recycled tires as a potting structure. Recycled tires were also used to build a jungle gym for the kids at the home to play on.