WESSA Schools Programme Annual Report 2019/2020

part of the team when the school was a winner in the Eskom eta Awards – young designers’ category. As a reward for their innovative approach to energy efficiency, five learners attended a sustainable energy conference in Sweden and I too was invited. It was my first time on an aeroplane! We have won multiple awards for our outstanding food gardens and the IBASS because of how well it is all integrated into our school’s existence and maintenance.

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF THE SCHOOL PROJECTS? In 2019 we installed a borehole at our school to assist with water supply. Prior to that, school activities would be disrupted or shortened when the entire Khavala area was without water. The borehole now also supplies water to the community, because we have been hit by recent droughts. Workshops that take place at the school also assist in knowledge- sharing and giving advice to community members on how to establish their own gardens and even their own businesses. School learners, many of whom come from disadvantaged homes, now have access to healthy produce from their own garden, while their parents also get assistance from the garden free of charge. Personally, I have learnt a lot from the project, how nature operates and how our actions impact on nature.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FUTURE

WESSA Schools Programme | Stories of Change | 2019/2020 25 Eating the vegetables from our food garden ensures healthy eating to us, and if people would have interest working in the garden like I do there is a lot of positive change that can happen, unemployment can be reduced. Mr Zothe “ ” Sustainability, defined as ‘the capacity to endure through time’, is an important concept for school development. It affirms the idea that a school can be given the social-, economic- and environmental tools to exercise greater self-reliance, and thereby ensure its own stability and longevity. School gardens have the capacity to provide all three factors of sustainability. Socially, they present the opportunity for solidifying school culture. Economically, they allow for more immediate and affordable access to food and provide a safety net for potential economic hardship. Finally, any green space acts environmentally to provide more liveable areas by controlling physical factors such as temperature, noise and pollution.