Help a woman feed her family in South Africa

Project name: Help a Woman Feed Her Family

Overview

Key challenges, which include poverty, high unemployment, social inequality, and limited access to public services. These difficulties continue to affect women, especially those from vulnerable households, in South Africans and have an impact quality of life and economy. Empowerment of women from vulnerable households with agricultural skills to produce food for their families remains crucial, especially support targeted at households with children.

The ‘Help a Woman Feed Her Family’ project addresses food insecurity and hunger at household level by empowering women with agricultural skills to enable them plant food in their backyard gardens and on land availed by government.

Through the partnership with GlobalGiving formed in September 2021, Young Global Entrepreneurs was blessed by an opportunity to participate in the accelerator fundraising campaign to raise funds towards the ‘Help a woman Feed Her Family’ project. YGE continues to be grateful to our donors for their generous support. 

The two beneficiaries from Vereeniging and one from Mayerton, a suburb located 50Km and 40Km, respectively, South of Johannesburghave expanded their vegetable gardens and agricultural knowledge as YGE continues to work with them.

• Beneficiary 1: A widow raising two children, but also interested in helping other women in the area. She has some knowledge on growing vegetables.
• Beneficiary 2: A woman running an orphanage. 
• Beneficiary 3: A mother having two children (New).

 Activities accomplished

• Sponsoring a new beneficiary who has space to venture in agribusiness
• Continuous training and support offered to the beneficiaries.
• Teaching the women about crop rotation and optimisation.
• There has been focus on management of pests and fungi caused by heavy rains.
• Meeting with government officials in the community to build strong collaborations.

Outcomes

• The vegetables harvested including onions spinach, tomatoes, pumpkins, and beans have helped women feed their families.
• The women also managed to sell the surplus to earn an income.
• Vegetables damaged by pests and fungi was donated to cattle farmers to feed their animals.

 Monitoring and evaluation (M&E)

• The beneficiaries are visited once a fortnight to monitor the gardens. 

 Challenges encountered

• Management of pests and fungal diseases is a continuous challenge.
• Weather challenges, especially the heavy rain season severely damages the plants.

 Conclusion

• The current beneficiaries are very grateful and excited about the opportunity.
• YGE will greatly appreciate any donation from you the donor, to help support this worthy cause.
• YGE needs to raise more funds to support more women

 Planned activities for next Quarter

• Requesting support, in form of tunnels, from government and community stakeholders to protect the plants from the harsh weather conditions and enhance the project’s outcomes.
• Continue with training and monitoring
• Continuing to fundraise though GlobalGiving and other ways

Links:

• Search for us on google