Healthy food not only can, but indeed does change lives! Only two and a half months after planting at the Galakwinstroom and Lesodi Primary schools, both in the Waterberg district in Limpopo, vegetables such as spinach and lettuce were ready for harvesting.

The school prepares meals for its 300 learners five days per week.  After harvesting from the new garden  the  learners  enjoyed fresh,  naturally grown  spinach which  is  one  of  the  top  ten  healthy vegetables. The vitamin A, C and calcium fight high blood pressure and heart disease. The  spinach  grown in the garden  is  especially good to eat as it is free of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.

At Galakwinstroom the Principal and educators are devoted to the success of the garden, which would explain its lush and verdant appearance. The learners work in the garden during the holidays and community members support the activities during the year. The learners also now eat and enjoy lettuce, some tasting it for the first time. 

“Now that we are eating from our own land, we appreciate our efforts that resulted in this “said Seanego, the project coordinator.

The garden has been supplying food to the school feeding scheme weekly and  learners  enjoy  fresh  produce  that  is  combined  with  the  food  supplied through the government. The 21 orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) were receiving vegetables to take home every Friday at the time of FTFAs last evaluation, giving them healthy food to enjoy over the weekend.

Over time, eating this produce should go a long way to improving the overall diets of the learners which in turn will help them learn more efficiently and grow strong and healthy.