By Warren Te Brugge | Founder and Chair
Building Gardens
When you first hear about food insecurity in a community, the first thing you think about most often is to build a traditional garden. Then the community brings you back to reality to look around you and understand the true circumstance; they have the land, but not the water to irrigate it with. Back to the drawing board.
In 2010 our idea of building a vertical garden was manifested, when we built our first wall in the eastern cape province of South Africa, using a drip system that required only 10% of what would be required in a normal garden. As the garden grew and flourished we looked for ways to increase production and longevity of the vertical community My World in a Garden gardens. Our next iteration moved from individual containers made from 2 liter pop bottles to building the wall as a huge pocket filled with good clean pesticide free soils. This is our current standard.
Whose being fed
Our walls in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Bergnek, Limpopo, South Africa primarily feed the children in each community. However, there is direct participation from every level within the community including teenagers, parents, and the elderly in particular. Food is grown and harvested for immediate as well as winter use and we're providing fresh vegetables for up to 150 children each week.
Who needs more
Bergnek and other communities need the gardens. As the My World In a Garden vertical community gardens have grow they've attracted attention from other communities. We still need an additional 6 walls in Bergnek alone and have outstanding requests from 5 other communities so far.
A New Season
The 2015/2016 seasons are well underway in Canada and will begin again in September in South Africa.
Your Contributions and Donations DO make the Difference
You can support the My Arms Wide Open, My World In a Garden project and make a meaningful difference in the lives of the girls, women and children that we serve, by making a donation now or setting up a monthly recurring donation as well as sharing this report with your family and friends.
Please Donate Now!
We are grateful for your support. The women, girls and children of the My Arms Wide Open communities extend a warm smile and echo our gratitude and thanks.
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