By chance I saw an article about Thatu and gardening in South Africa townships in my local Horticultural Society newsletter. So I contacted Margery Povall and after coffee in Brixton I went away with details of Thatu’s Soil for Life project and advice on safety in Capetown.

Circling around  Capetown in the plane I could clearly see the beautiful city and its mass of township housing where so many people lived in poverty – in sharp contrast to Capetown’s  affluent neighbourhoods.

My first visit to Soil for Life coincided with their November prize giving – held in a light and airy education centre in the wealthy suburb of Constantia. Hundreds of people from townships gathered for the event. Prize winners went away with certificates and practical prizes like food parcels, washing machines, spades and bunk beds. I saw the pride and self confidence of gardeners who had created wonderful gardens in the most inhospitable places using Soil for Life techniques.

Soil for Life’s headquarters in Constantia is a show case garden for developing gardening techniques for poor sandy soil  with little water. Compost is the key to success and I spent another morning helping to make a very large compost heap.

One of the community workers drove me to see projects in townships and informal settlements. Coming from the UK the extent of the poverty is hard to comprehend: the crumbling housing, rows of toilets, rubbish-strewn streets  and  endless dust and sand. Sustaining specific projects is tough in these conditions. Many people just survive day-to-day with no time for the planning ahead that gardening needs. The successful gardeners are real exceptions – creating a marvel in a tiny space always strictly following the Soil for Life method with the crucial compost heap. 

Some of the project gardens are within the security fence of a school where the children tend their gardens as part of the regular school day and sometimes take food home to eat. Tears rolled down the face of a child telling me about her life at home. A garden helps but life is still terribly hard. Community and economic development needs to go hand-in-hand with gardening to sustain progress. 

It was clear to me that Thatu’s grant is an invaluable contribution to Soil for Life's projects. Pat Featherstone, the formidable Soil for Life Director, works increasingly with Capetown corporate business to create a financially sustainable organisation. Team building volunteer days are particularly popular and get new projects in the townships off to a good start as well as providing direct income. Pat’s  book “Grow to Live: A simple guide to growing your own good, clean food”  is one of the best gardening books I have seen – full of innovative techniques  many of which are highly relevant to the dry south east of England! 

So if I've been sufficiently convinced of the value of Thatu's work to become a trustee, I would certainly urge you –  even in these difficult times – to give a donation, however small, to Thatu. I can assure you that your donation will accomplish a great deal in the South African economy.