ANSA International Program Blog

One of the most fascinating things about working in Africa, other than the wonderful people, is that you must always address complex issues in a complex environment.  To be successful, programs need to take into consideration a wide array of issues and design programs that give individuals and communities a chance at development versus a life of dependency.  Such is the work of Ikamva Labantu and hence, the work of ANSA.

The most recent team visit included an opportunity to work with renowned agronomists, farmers, dieticians, chefs and organizational development specialists to begin to integrate nutrition into the wider continuum of program services provided by Ikamva Labantu.  It was tough drudgery to sort through a lot complex concerns, but it was absolutely necessary to identify strategies to overcome deeply engrained cultural concerns and logistical challenges.  We examined ways to overcome the negative apartheid-era connotations of "garden" work to build agri-business skills building and opportunities for youth, and looked at ways to introduce healthy, new "multi-purpose" products such as pomegranites into the market that could provide not only food but also income-generating juices, oils and lotions.  Our work spanned the range of concerns from youth basketball snacks to senior meal recipes, from upgraded fertilizers to enriched food, and from shortterm individual needs to longterm community plans.  It's truly profound what innovative nutrition programs can cover.

In the end, we carved out three pilot projects that will in some way impact all age and at-risk groups served by Ikamva Labantu.  We'll scale up as we learn and prepare the broader range of staff and community members for the programs which include revised food parcels for foster homes, revised growing and harvesting methods at community and seniors centers, and nutrition-based incentives for HIV-specific life skills curricula for at-risk youth.

The search for funding partners has begun so that we can ensure the program can be supported in full.  We are incredibly excited about the potential results; if all goes well we could be seeing a lot more development and a lot less dependency in Western Cape townships soon.  If will is half the battle, then we are well on our way.

Big thanks to ANSA team members Kelly, Patrick, Rosario and Ben (left, getting an eager start to their morning) as well as the Ikamva Labantu team of Helen, Ishrene, Mala, Barbara, Johanna, Christelle,  Bridgette, Lynn, Zanele, Ntsika, Monica, Mattheus et al for their awesome work.

Peace to all...Mary