The community of Mogale City became the latest beneficiaries of a training on sustainable food security and alleviating poverty while at the same time celebrating the 2024 World Food Day, which is celebrated under the theme ‘Right to food for a better life and better future’.
The training saw five beneficiaries identified from five indigent households as well as members of the Community Development Workers (CWP) taking part in the programme. The labour-intensive programme is an initiative of the Mogale City Local Municipality Social Development Division, located within the Community Development Services (CDS).
The day-long programme took place at the open space which is more than two-hectares within the Burgershoop Community Centre, in Krugersdorp West.
According to Sehahle Masupha, Assistant Manager Social Development Programme, the Social Development Division saw the need to celebrate World Food Day through assisting communities and beneficiary families on the need for food security and at the same time alleviating poverty through the job creation and training on food gardening.
Masupha said: “We are very much happy that our municipality has joined hands with the global community in celebrating the World Food Day. We are celebrating this noble day while at the same time we want to train and teach our communities on how create have sustainable food security through food gardening.”
“We have realised through our Indigent Management programmes that many households across Mogale City are starving and most of those go to bed on an empty stomach. So, we saw the need to make good use of our open spaces within our community centre and convert that into seeds beds and food gardens.”
He said it is the responsibility of his department and other role players to assist needy families in making sure that while there is scarcity of employment and jobs across the country, at least families can on the other hand afford to put food on the table.
Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for Health and Social Development, Councillor Wonderful Segolodi, join the programme and dirty her hands.
She on the sidelines of the initiative also shared her words. She applauded her department for putting the needy communities first on their social cohesion programmes. She said, ‘the Food Gardening programme is one of many programmes that her department is undertaking, and such programmes will also be extended to communities in-and-around Mogale City’.
The Department of Health represented by the Health Promoter, Noncedokazi Malebane, also attended the event and shared her experiences within the auspices of her department. Malebane also encouraged the beneficiaries to eat healthy and visit local clinics and so check the possibilities of chronic diseases.
The Department of Agriculture donated three trays of Spinach seedling for the beneficiaries to start planting and developing seed beds.
World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year on October 16 to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945. The day aims to raise awareness of hunger and inspire solutions for global change poverty alleviation.
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Soweto Sunrise News
