South Africa: New jobs in organic farming
Diepsloot is a densely populated suburb in the north of Johannesburg. More than 300,000 people live here, many of them unemployed. Terre des Hommes ' project partner "Afrika Tikkun" trains young people in organic farming to help them achieve independence.
Together with 60 other young people, she not only learns how to prepare, plant, water and fight pests, but also how to run a small company. A year takes agricultural and business training, 45 women between the ages of 18 and 25. If you want, you can then work on a 300 square meter plot on your own responsibility and apply what you have learned.
"I can't wait for someone to offer me a job," says Debra. She's a single mother and, despite her degrees in computer science and agriculture, can't find a job. So she's made a decision: "I'll create my own job." To achieve this, Debra is participating in a program run by the Afrika Tikkun organization and supported by Terre des Hommes and the Volkswagen Employee Foundation. At the Tikkun Center in Diepsloot, she's learning all about organic farming and how it can help her secure her income.
The trainees don't have to worry about the sale: ecologically grown foods are rarely in Dieploot and the surrounding area. The fresh vegetables are already known here. Everything has grown naturally and you can taste that. After her training, Debra wants to build its own company, create jobs and provide people with their healthy products. In her plans, she thinks above all about the future of her family. Eating, living, good school education - all of this costs a lot of money, but Debra is certain: "If I start with a hectare country and slowly enlarge it, I can achieve a lot!"