At the end of June, PiCCA directors Stephanie Bolderman and Steve Maguire visited PiCCA’s Swaziland project. AMICAALL, our project partner, organized a full itinerary over three days which included visits to Nhlangano farm and to some of the Social Centres using the farm produce to provide meals to abandoned, orphaned or vulnerable children. Social Centre staff underlined the importance of the feeding program, as it acts as an incentive to attend the centre for pre-school education and for other services such as birth registration, child protection and psycho-social support.
Last year’s crop provided 150 bags of maize which fed about 400 children in four of the neediest towns for 4-6 weeks. A similar sized crop is about to be harvested this year. The farm is secure and well supported by the local council.
The need to provide ongoing provisions of maize, beans and vegetables for social centres in all 13 municipalities is still very high. So, PiCCA is now working with AMICAALL on a proposal to connect the current borehole to an irrigation system. This will enable the farm to be expanded in crop diversity and size.
