ConVista invests in trees and bushes!

This year the international consulting and solutions company decided to give away something special for Christmas: The good feeling of having helped.

The Christmas presents for customers and employees are given to “Food and Trees for Africa” (www.trees.co.za) in the form of a donation.

The reason why this South African organization has been chosen is that it devotes itself to the task of counteracting lasting effect of climate changes by exhaustive plantations, stopping soil erosion, establishing new food sources and sensitizing people for their environment. It has e.g. been awarded with the UN-environmental commissioning.

ConVista will take care of a Permaculture Project at the Khayelitsha Special School, located in Western Cape. This school caters for special needs children from local vicinity having various physical and mental disabilities.

The school is secure, has sufficient land and borehole water. The water is brackish and not entirely suitable for gardening. It is however currently being used for the garden and contributing to a productive system so it will support an extension to the area.

The school will benefit greatly with support in further developing their garden structure. Permaculture techniques would be transferred to the project members. These techniques allow them to better make use of their surrounding resources. It is also hoped that rain tanks and gutters can be added to the schools infrastructure in order to reduce the need for using the water from the borehole.

The project objectives are to…

•help the school and community to develop natural food gardens.

•produce food to supplement the school feeding scheme.

•involve the learners in activities that will motivate and inspire them to engage with food production and the environment, activities that children in similar schools have enjoyed immensely.

•encourage the replication of the school project at the homes of the community and homes of learners.

This project will provide the necessary nutritional diet for these especially needy children to contribute to a healthy immune system. Children with disabilities show a great passion for gardening and this can also provide them with skills they can use for their lifetimes.

The implementation will be over a period of twelve months. It is also proposed that ConVista employees in Cape Town will physically assist to commence the gardens on the first day and if needed in the future.

With this sustainable project ConVista tries to leave a small piece of a better world to future generations...