With a history of being a homeopathic centre, Moya has always been people and health focused. Over the years, we have added other departments that feeds into our core of ensuring a healthy and empowered community. We have since intensified our green efforts through our Permaculture and Healthy Pro-Active Living Departments. Please see these efforts below:
RECYCLING
First, I had to learn about it, but what really inspired me in starting the recycling project as part of our HPL project, was to keep the environment clean. I also wanted to share this concept with families so that they can implement it in their daily lives. I thought if families can implement recycling, it can save them from buying all the time. Instead they will learn to re-use some of the home items and other recyclable products around the home.
I am a grounds man and a permaculture officer at Moya Centre; my main responsibilities are to ensure that we have a clean environment and always kept in good conditions. Also, I am responsible for the gardens at Moya Centre, part of which is to capacitate all Moya beneficiaries about the importance of having a garden. Worth noting is that permaculture uses organics, so its produce can be consumed anytime with no waiting period. You can save the environment and resources too just by recycling.
Masoka Magongo – Permaculture Officer
The inspiration behind starting the grey water treatment was due to the shortage of water in the area. We live in a world where water is a necessity to survive, however, having to go a long way to fetch water or even have to pay for it has a bad impact on the less privileged families. Thus, we found it more useful to start re-using the water that we wash dishes, clothes, and our bodies.
We use old buckets and barrels to store the water. The process of cleaning the water involves the filling of sand, stones, grass and manure to the bucket before the water passes to the barrel. With this purification process , the water is clean enough to drink. Greywater helps save money for communities which pay for water.
GARDENS
The gardens are very important to club members as they not only feed them, but practicing permaculture equips them with basic agricultural skills. They use old tyres to plant seedlings, old corrugated iron for fencing their gardens, 5 litre plastic bottles and buckets are used to form part of their greywater treatment.
Moya Centre was the inspiration behind starting the club gardens and ultimately starting one at our respective homes. Also, the effects of covid-19 made us aware of the importance of food security. We managed to produce greens from our home gardens to keep our bodies healthy and fit to resist against diseases.
The gardens are very important to club members as they not only feed us, but practicing permaculture equips us with basic agricultural skills. The gardens have helped us to be able to work as a team in the same space and also to be able to give back to the community as some produce products are given to the needy members of their community.
Mhlabubovu Club Member
Young Conscious Farmers
Growing up I have always wanted to be my own boss, make my own money which was and is the inspiration for me to join this project. Also, the love of agriculture and animals played a major role in ensuring my commitment to this project. The project is a huge source of income for me and it has helped me to become a responsibly young man in my community and distracts me from doing bad habits. Also, it gave me the platform to be able to capacitate other aspiring pig farmers, so I am able to share knowledge based on the experience I have thus far. For recycling I used items such as; Old corrugated iron for the roofing of the shelter, Old buckets for making drinkers and Steel to make the gates for the different rooms.
Mangaliso Magongo, 23 – Member of the ILIGP team
The inspiration to be part of the program/project was to start my own business and learn to grow from. Also, I wanted to be an inspiration and an encouragement to other women out there as a few of them are into agriculture, so this was going to say I can do it too. The project has been of great importance to me as it generates income, puts food on the table. Also, community members are able to buy milk and manure to use in their gardens as this manure contains adequate amounts of the nutrients that plants need for optimal growth. On top of that, I am able to gain more experience and be able to share it with others in the community I live in. For the recycling project I used a number of items in securing the shelter for the goats; old tires for the goats to stand on as they have an intense dislike for water puddles and mud, old garage doors, corrugated iron as shelter and an old barrel as the door.
Temvelo Mtsetfwa, 41 – Member of the ILIGP Team
MOYA GARDEN EXTENTION
In 2022, we extended our Moya garden and added root vegetables such as sweet potatoes. These sustain our kitchen that cooks for our Pre-schools, Community Clubs and meetings. Food security is a great challenge within the community and it is imperative that we model the behavior of partly growing our own food as inflation is on the rise. This garden is sponsored by The SAHEE Foundation.