During apartheid in South Africa an entire community of "coloured" residents (members of multiracial ethnic communities with ancestry from African, European, and Asian people) was forced out of Cape Town in the 1970s under the Group Areas Act. All of the community's houses and buildings were bulldozed to make way for new construction for the white population -- construction which, decades later, has not yet happened. Some of those displaced people formed the community of Atlantis.
Atlantis is 40 km north of Cape Town. As of 2024, it has approximately 90,000 residents. Unemployment (40%), lack of housing, and a very high crime are major challenges in the area. Many students arrive at school without having any food in the morning or during the day.
The Rotary Club of Atlantis (near Cape Town), South Africa, has established gardens at 12 elementary schools in the City of Atlantis. The gardens feed the children and educate them on how to grow vegetables and about environmental issues. The club also operates two community soup kitchens to feed children and teens.
Funds are needed to purchase gardening equipment the children can use, and rice and corn meal to supplement the vegetables grown at the schools to feed the children. Atlantis was built on sand. To grow gardens soil must be brought in. The soup kitchens and bathroom facilities also needed repairs and renovation to handle the volume of demand.
The Rotary Club of Atlantis reached out to the Rotary Club of Ladner in June 2024 looking to find a partner for their project.
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After communication between the two Rotary clubs, and during a personal travel excursion in December 2024 with his wife PDG Penny Offer, Past District 5040 Governor (PDG) and Rotary Club of Ladner member Chris Offer visited the Rotary Club of Atlantis and its projects to feed and support children and adults in the impoverished community with 40% unemployment and where severe measures are needed to protect property from theft by desperate residents. He toured the community's schools, including one of the club's soup kitchens.
With CDN$10,000 from the Rotary Club of Ladner and CDN$5,000 from The Rotary Foundation through a District 5040 Grant, the Rotary Club of Atlantis can continue the project and to expand the size of gardens. 400 children are fed twice each week at the soup kitchen. 2,000 children in the schools directly benefited from the gardens. 1,000 children are estimated to spend some time working in the gardens each week.
All 21 members of the Rotary Club of Atlantis, plus the local Assistant Governor, participated in the project work. They
purchased food from local bulk suppliers, volunteered in the soup kitchen, built raised garden boxes, worked on toilet repairs for pre-school and repaired soup kitchen building.
Plants and compost have been purchased for use in 12 school gardens. Additional planting boxes were built. Food was bought for the soup kitchen where 400 children are fed. Repairs were done to the soup kitchen. Gas (propane) bottles were purchased. Repairs were done to a pre-school toilet.
Meat, beans, rice have been purchased to supply the soup kitchen over many months. The Rotary funds also helped purchase garden tools, vegetable seeds and seedlings, propane for the soup kitchens, compost area and repairs to the toilet in the Cresch (Kindergarten).
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Students are educated in the following: recovering seed from their crop; compost making; safe and correct use of garden equipment; correct irrigation; use of water sparingly; networking with other participants; exchange goods and bartering; marketing and sales of crops
Cooperating Organizations, other than the two partnering Rotary clubs, have been providing funding or helping implement the project.
• The Department of Agriculture supplied start-up vegetable garden kits.
• Durbanville Boere vereniging - Klipheuwel Farm supplied compost at low cost.
• The Hobbs family contributed seedlings and plants at reduced rates
• Goedverwacht Trust provided seeds
• Hope and Reconciliation Trust provided seed
• The schools and the Head Masters (Principals) of all schools are partners
PDG Chris Offer on this visit to the Rotary Club of Atlantis which is supporting the school soup kitchens, facilities upgrades and gardening program to educate as well as supply food | |
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