WESSA Glencore report 2022

Blackhill Schoongezicht Primary School

Kromdraai

biodiversity on land and taking care of the soil as the phrase says, “a nation that destroys it’s soil destroys itself”. A healthy biodiversity results in healthier soil, less erosion and better water conservation.

ECO JOURNEY Blackhill-Schoongezicht Primary School is in a township named Kwa-Guqa Ext 10 under the district of Nkangala in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga. It is recognized as one of the best schools in the spelling B competition and holds an excellent reputation with learners from vast extensions in Emalahleni. The school holds a guiding beacon- vision that “a nation that destroys its soil destroys itself”, this is what the school advocates for in their aspirations in raising awareness about land pollution. Blackhill-Schoongezicht school was introduced into the WESSA Eco-school programme in 2019 under the health and wellbeing theme through food gardening with the intention of learning how to create a successful sustainable garden using organic methods. The school also aimed to raise environmental awareness, understanding and respecting nature and natural resource management, as all these aspects provides us with the fundamental qualities of human life. As part of the health and wellbeing theme the focus was on food gardening The Grade 7 Eco committee learners together with Mr Vilakazi initiated a food garden within the school yard, which benefitted the school’s nutritional food scheme and giving learners a natural experience, which helped with their mental wellbeing Agriculture plays a crucial role in our lives as it possesses the power to harm or heal. Learners now understand the importance of prioritizing FOOD GARDENING PROJECT

POSITIVE CHANGE IN LEARNERS

Learner demonstration of the hand washing station

The food gardening programme has been a great success as it is linked with the school curriculum through an outdoor education approach. Blackhill- Schoongezicht has taken the opportunity to reinforce various areas of the school curriculum particularly subjects with hands on activities to use this to gain experience through outdoor practicals e.g. type of rocks and soils, identifying bugs, measuring rainfall and waste management using vegetable peels as compost for the garden.

to plan, problem solve, accountability and most importantly teamwork as, “teamwork makes the dream work” and together we can discover, learn and grow It is rewarding to see the learner’s attitudes and perception towards having a food garden change as some have discovered their talents and love for gardening. They are now implementing these skills at home with the community.

The programme also taught the learners how

Learners working in the food garden

Biodiversity garden

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