THE MIDLANDS MEANDER ASSOCIATION EDUCATION PROJECT

MMAEP latest project news - January 2010

The new school year started in the middle of the month with planning meetings with teachers for the year’s programme at Sifisesihle School.

Pupils welcoming MMAEP

The work with teachers and pupils to create a sustainable organic food garden at Sifisesihle School has taken an interesting turn as there are also10 or more community gardeners now ready to work there, as part of a ‘poverty relief’ programme . In their enthusiasm these community members had cleared most of the preparatory planting done in December by the MMAEP team and the children. Luckily the compost heap assembled by the children remained.

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Adding dry leaves                                       Adding the green layer

Grade 7 girls mulching

The plan now is to build in organic gardening training for the community members and to allocate specific, distinct areas of the garden to them and to the pupils. 

In January the MMAEP team were shocked to find that the school, with more than 500 pupils had no toilets at all. The port-a-loos which had been there had been removed in the holidays and not replaced. As a result the school is closing at 12.30 every day. It is such happenings which highlight the difficulties the education system in South Africa faces, and the need for the help of volunteers like MMAEP

At Carshalton and Cedara the new school year means the loss of the keen Grade 7 pupils who have moved on to secondary school, but the hope is that they will continue their environmental involvement in their new school.

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