The Ivory Foundation has been supporting Half Way House in Silethithemba since 2013.
Created in 2007 by the association Designing Hope, this day-care centre for orphans and disadvantaged children is located in the township of Roosboom, on the outskirts of Ladysmith, in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.The children are looked after after school, receive a hot meal every day, and are offered early-learning activities as well as educational support and awareness-raising on a range of issues.
The Ivory Foundation and Designing Hope have included Half Way House in their programme to develop educational gardens to raise awareness of agro-ecology and permaculture among children and their families.
Permaculture has been popularised by a number of NGOs in South Africa over the last fifteen years, as a solution for access to a balanced diet, even for the poorest people living in townships with little space to grow crops. The principle of “Door gardens” has been developed, encouraging families to create compost to recover their green waste and enrich the soil.
Produce from the garden is also an essential source of fresh produce for preparing meals for the fifty or so children who attend each day.
