To mark its sixth anniversary this month, a Scarborough non-profit community centre supporting child development is aiming to raise R6000 to baboon-proof its food garden.
Darron and Lindsey Nicholson are the founders of The GLO House, which helps children from the impoverished Red Hill and Dido Valley communities.
“We will use the funds collected this month to make our community garden baboon-proof, so we can start selling veggies again,“ said Ms Nicholson.
According to her, most of their support comes from overseas, and finding local volunteers and donors has been hard.
“We appreciate any assistance in reaching our goal, whether through donations, volunteering your time, or purchasing items from our farm such as free-range eggs, organic compost, and livestock.”
Founded in 2018, The GLO House provides after-school and holiday programmes for children from the community.
During the school term, Monday through Friday, the centre welcomes about 50 children each week from Jupiter, Marine, Kleinberg and Masiphumelele primary schools for after-school activities.
“These programmes cover life skills development sessions, agricultural skills training and educational support,” said programme coordinator Jade Knowles.
For the high school children, Ms Knowles said, they promoted a discussion-based approach to develop entrepreneurial skills through initiatives such The GLO House’s sustainable farm project.
“Our goal is to educate youngsters about responsible farming practices and respecting nature. Additionally, we involve parents by helping them establish sustainable businesses selling products, ensuring they can provide for their families,” said Ms Knowles.
The GLO House also runs a five-day holiday programme for about 75 children. They get two meals a day with help from organisations such as My Father’s House, a food kitchen in Simon’s Town.
Ms Nicholson said they aimed to live off the land and teach children about the importance of living an environmentally conscious life as well as being entrepreneurs.
“Our future aspirations are to expand our organisation and provide more disadvantaged children with the happiness they deserve.”
Contact Lindsey Nicholson at lindsey.dickey@theglohouse.com or 079 672 2319 to find out how you can support the fund-raiser.
