WESSA Schools Programme Annual Report 2019/2020

challenges include child-headed families as well as early pregnancies in our community. Our detailed Theme and Action Plan concentrates on five broad areas: The Health and safety theme began in 2005, focusing on fruit and vegetable gardening as well as on hygiene, especially in our dining hall. Learners and the community are healthier as a result of fresh food from the school’s permaculture garden. They are encouraged to eat a balanced diet and to become familiar with the food pyramid. The school vegetable garden fed more than 220 people during 2019, including members of the community. Matlou Memorial has played a huge role in reducing poverty in learners’ homes. Our Eco-School initiative has also helped to reduce bilharzia within the community through building knowledge and improving awareness. These Eco-Schools projects have helped us to create relationships with the Departments of Social Development and Health, as well as with the South African Police Service, further ensuring the safety and well-being of our teachers and learners. Two themes, Nature and biodiversity and Local and global issues , were initiated during 2006. Our focus for the first is on tree planting and flower gardening, showcasing seasonal flowers and

Our permaculture garden is a donation from Lapalala Wilderness school and it serves our community

water-wise plants. We have noticed a decrease in water use since we started planting water-wise plants and the school grounds are green, inviting and conducive to learning. Our community now recognises the importance of indigenous plants and the dangers of alien plants. Within the second theme, we care for the Motse River, help fix erosion dongas and tackle other erosion problems around the village. Recently, we have noticed a great reduction in wildfires and littering. Matlou Memorial encourages school- and community members to abandon the use of pesticides and other harmful products. Because of our own experiences, we also

encourage neighbouring schools to register with the Eco-Schools Programme. Our latest theme, Resource use , started in 2017. It emphasises sustaining indigenous species such as Baobab and Morula trees. We encourage the concept of ‘ water is life, sanitation is dignity ’, as well as the three Rs: re-use, reduce and recycle . A joint project with Sun Bake Bakery focused on recycling plastic. Our school grounds are now divided into sections for playing and learning, trees and shrubs are planted every Arbor Day, and grass lawns help prevent soil erosion.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

We plan to purchase three JoJo rainwater-harvesting tanks, since the existing tank is not in good condition and have made provision for one in our 2020 budget. Water flow from the nearby mountain causes soil erosion, so we need to build a barrier wall. There is a clear need to organise health awareness campaigns during this pandemic disease. We also hope to enter competitions such as the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Baswa le meetse and Eskom’s Simama Ranta Entrepreneurship Education Competition. Then, every term, we celebrate special days. We have much to do.

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