Sale of fragrant herbs set to boost Khanyisa food garden
PUPILS at the Khanyisa School for the Blind in KwaDwesi, Port Elizabeth, are planning to launch a range of aroma sachets and other scented products, using fragrant herbs they grow in their food garden.
The driving force behind this plan is the school’s deputy principal Alec Stoffels, who established the food garden in 2016.
“I’ve always been passionate about gardening. One can say it is in my blood,” he said.
“Initially my aim was to grow enough food in this garden to supplement the produce our kitchen uses to prepare school meals.
“Now my dream is to leave the school a legacy by immersing our pupils in the garden and [giving] them the skills to produce their own vegetables, like beetroot, spinach, pumpkins, carrots, lettuce, parsley and maize.”
But, Stoffels said, his plans got off to a slow start when it became clear that the garden’s design made it too difficult for the school’s blind and partially sighted pupils to take part to their full ability in making the initiative a success.
That was when he found a partner in Shoprite, which agreed to help transform the under-used piece of land into a productive, fragrant vegetable and herb garden.
The retailer’s support included new tools, plants and educational materials, as well as training.
The youngsters are learning permaculture techniques for cultivating vegetables alongside fragrant herbs and plants, like lavender, pelargonium and rosemary.
“But [what] really fires their enthusiasm is harvesting the produce they cultivate [with] their own hard work,” Stoffels said.
“In the long term, the kids will always be our first priority.
“The vegetables in the garden will be used to give them a balanced, nutritious diet.
“Any income we earn from our planned range of aroma sachets and scented products will be used to do more for them in the future,” he said.