CALABASH TRUST

Calabash Trust aims to involve parents in their children’s education. Making the parents realise the importance and relevance of school. This will be done by introducing trench gardens into schools, and homes within the Joe Slovo Township.

This is such an important initiative because parents lack of involvement affects their children’s learning, teacher accountability, as well as theft and vandalism in the schools. Trench Gardens have already been used to good effect in 7 schools in Joe Slovo Township, the Calabash Trust now want to role it out into parents back yards. Many parents are interested in how large, healthy vegetables can be grown in such poor soil. We will use this interest to help parents create their own gardens, and we’ll hire a trainer to help 15 parents at a time. We will also set up a seed and tool library where parents can rent tools for a day at a time- this will bring parents into the schools. Our aim is to create 50 gardens and hope that the success of these gardens will encourage many more parents to participate.

We have two full time field worker to evaluate progress and catalogue the libraries use- in this way we will be able to monitor the success of this project. If it is successful it will be the first step to creating a parents programme.

The Calabash trust also has other programmes to help the local community such as the nutritional programme, the pre-school support and advancement programme, the skills development programme and the school furniture programme.

In December 2009 Tribes Foundation donated to the school furniture programme to buy more desks for the children to work on, which will create a better working environment. To donate please contact Tribes Foundation.
Calabash’s Wish List

  • More School Furniture
  • More school equipment
  • Tuition fees
  • Proper water and waste management systems
  • Food for the nutrition programme

For more information please visit http://www.calabashtrust.co.za/