The Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto is one of the largest in the world, with the day clinic visited by more than 2,500 women and children living with HIV/AIDS every week. GardenAfrica teamed up with local partners HIVSA and Ukuvuna to enhance non-clinical services for people visiting the clinic; training them in sustainable urban agriculture to boost nutrition and income.

We have developed a one hectare training and resource garden enabling people to address their own nutritional needs with a more sustainable and accessible approach to community-based care. The initial training target of 1,500 people was soon exceeded by an overwhelming response from applicants. The garden is run by four people who are HIV positive. Workshops are held at the unit and encourage those visiting to take up gardening to provide sufficient food to supplement their nutritional needs. These trainers now run two classes a week with up to 30 participants per class. The first year has seen more than 2,500 people receive basic training and support, many of whom have gone on to established community gardens at church groups and schools around Soweto.

Our 18 fully accredited trainers are now qualified to train others in sustainable resource management, and low input/ high yield food cultivation techniques, complemented by HIV/AIDS related nutrition and sanitation training for the immune compromised.

Project Collaborators

• HIVSA
• Ukuvuna
• Department of Health (Gauteng, South Africa)
• Hope Nutrition

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