By Doreen Mokgolo
Shumela Hayani is an agri-partnership with a difference – it was set up to employ young people living with disabilities.
The Modern Community Foundation in partnership with the Ponahalo De Beers Trust established the project in 2022 in Musina to teach unemployed people to farm, with a strong focus on the differently-abled.
The fresh produce is sold to residents of Musina and other parts of Limpopo.
Driving into the Shumela Hayani plots, one cannot help but notice the green fields and the activities of the young farm workers.
In an interview with Scrolla.Africa, project coordinator Annah Maphaha-Shemela said it was time for people to stop complaining about job opportunities and find solutions.
“It is sad that people with disabilities and women still find themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy when it comes to opportunities in agriculture.
“Through this initiative, we are creating a fully sustainable farming operation where everyone including the community benefits. Residents now have access to cheap vegetables without commuting out of the area.
“For us, we are not only responding to unemployment but also [ensuring people have] a healthy diet,” Maphaha-Shemela said.
The project’s employees include 90% black youth living with disabilities, and 70% of the workers are women under the age of 25.
Maphaha-Shemela said more funding was needed to ensure the success of the project and to absorb and train more learners.
“We intend to see young people empowered and starting their agricultural projects to fight poverty and sustain food security. We are hoping for corporations to extend their hand and inject funds, donations in the form of tools and land to help us empower others.”
Karabo Mukhuwa, a beneficiary of the initiative, said: “I now have something to look forward to every morning that is helping reshape my future. I am planning to use the skills and knowledge to start my own farming business in the future that will create jobs for people in my community.”
Pictured above: Project coordinator Annah Maphaha-Shemela.
Image source: Supplied
