2019 – update
GAPA will receive a Grant of $2687.00 for 2020. TIAS ARMS continues to fund an innovative program for Grandmothers Against Poverty and Aids (GAPA). These grandmothers and grandfathers, who raise their orphaned grandchildren, receive a grant for an organic vegetable garden, tools, gardening gear, and a shed. The garden is an enormous success. Not only do the children eat the products of the garden almost daily but the grandparents are such excellent gardeners that they have produce left over to sell, thus creating a small income stream.
2018 – in retrospect
The drought experienced in Cape Town over the last year continues to be a challenge for this project, but with your continued help during 2018, we proudly withstood the unprecedented stringent water restrictions by use of water storage tanks, grey and treated water and education around water wastage. We are grateful that our existing garden continues to flourish and are proud that our crops of tomatoes, onions, leeks, spinach and beetroot were especially outstanding this past year.
Our Food-Gardening project: Maintains and sustain a vegetable garden which provides nutritional food for our vulnerable young children; educate our children and grandmothers around healthy food choices; provide a small source of income for these families affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other chronic diseases.
To maintain and sustain a vegetable garden which provides nutritional food:
Most of the produce is used in our kitchen to provide a healthy and nutritious meal for the aftercare children and the working grandmothers. Sadly, this is often the only meal they will get for the day.
Education around healthy lifestyle and food choices:
Besides a source of food, the project extends to teaching children, by example, the importance of self–reliance and independence. It demonstrates for them at an early age, the wonder of growing their own food and in so doing, we nurture minds as well as bodies. The grandmothers too are involved in the project, and have eagerly adopted organic growing and pest control methods taught by our volunteers.
A small source of income for our grandmothers:
Furthermore, for the grandmothers, the excess produce is a source of sustenance in their own homes and also a source of inspiration as most of these grandmothers have learnt to maintain their own private vegetable patches, no matter how humble their homes. Their sense of pride in their own gardens also allows them to encourage further replication by spreading the gardening fundamentals learnt, amongst their families and friends.