Our Partners

Our Sponsors

The WPI Gardens Team would like to offer thanks to the organizations that allowed our project to be feasible and successful. We would also like to invite you to visit the pages of our sponsors and learn a bit more about them.

The Shaster Foundation

www.shaster.org.za

The Shaster Foundation aims to alleviate poverty in South Africa while preserving local culture and utilizing and protecting the environment. Their biggest current undertaking is the Indlovu Project, which aims to work with the community of Monwabisi Park to create a sustainable settlement that provides for all the needs of its residents.

The Shaster Foundation has provided us with space, materials, and vital information to get our project off the ground. We worked closely with Di Womersly, the founder of Shaster. She was always there to answer our questions and help us work through any of the problems we came across.

Soil For Life

www.soilforlife.co.za

The goals of Soil for Life are to maximize the available space, conserve water, and utilize resources that would otherwise end up in landfills. Their motto is “healthy soil, healthy plants, and healthy people.” (Soil for Life, 2009) Their work is about not only gardening and food. Soil for Life promotes ‘growing’; they want people to help themselves in several aspects of life including survival, earning money, having healthy families, improving values, dealing with inflation, resourcefulness, and developing creativity. Soil for Life donated supplies to our project when we needed them. Pat Featherstone, a key member of Soil for Life came and gave a gardening demonstration in the park as part of our project.

Zero Emissions Research Initiatives

www.zeri.org

Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives’ main goal is to provide people with the basic human resources: water, food, housing, health care, shelter, energy, jobs and education. ZERI-SA tries to respond to the needs of people using their natural environment to create the most sustainable solution. They also use educational resources within communities to demonstrate innovative and sustainable activities. Nirmala Nair, the head of the South Africa branch, has a lot of insight into the type of work we would be doing in Monwabisi Park and she was able to offer us many good suggestions.

Special Thanks

This project would not be possible without the help and support of many individuals, especially:

  • Scott Jiusto and Joe Petruccelli: For advising us through PQP and our days in South Africa
  • Di Womersley from the Shaster Foundation: For her ideas and resources
  • Nirmala Nair from Zeri-SA: For sharing her extensive knowledge on efficient gardening practices
  • Patricia Featherstone of Soil for Life: For giving her seminar in Monwabisi Park and donating compostto our gardens
  • Buyiswa Tonono: For her insight on the community perspective
  • Xolani: For gardening with us
  • Nulethu: For allowing us the space to set up our example gardens

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