Pholosong vegetable garden- a beacon of hope  

Tsakani- The Environmental Health Department from Pholosong Regional Hospital initiated a vegetable garden project in 2020 under Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) initiative adopting the “Food Goal”.
The objectives are to empower the community by providing patients and visitors with farming skills for economic empowerment and job creation, supply impoverished families and malnourished children by providing them with nutritious vegetables/food, and provide aid to the main kitchen in case of delayed deliveries from the suppliers at the hospital.
The project is run by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of dietitians, social workers, environmental health practitioners, occupational therapists and the grounds staff members.
The identified patients are provided with spinach, lettuce, cucumber, beetroot, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, cabbage, and carrots, all harvested from this garden.
The recent community social outreach from the company Bayer, Nigel Plant was a much-appreciated collaboration in providing food parcels to the patients.
The company donated bags of mealie meal and chicken as part of their vision of “Health for All, Hunger for None”.
This donation was a perfect complement to the vegetable food packs given to patients.
“We have been conducting outreach programmes in the community of Duduza and surrounding areas in response to the identified poverty in the communities.
“We started with the schools and when we needed to expand, we identified hospitals as a beneficiary for these outreaches.
“Pholosong is the first hospital we are collaborating with,” said Cynthia Radebe from Bayer’s Community Social Committee.
One of the food parcels recipients, Thabo Mthimunye expressed his appreciation for this gesture of love from the hospital.
“Many of us are unemployed and cannot afford to buy food we are required to eat before we take our medication.
“We therefore appreciate what the hospital is doing for us.”
Another patient, Thulisile Mhlanga who came for her treatment at the HAST clinic and was a first-time recipient of the vegetables from the hospital was equally appreciative.
“I did not know about this support from the hospital. I came to collect my treatment, and this was a pleasant surprise for me,” she said.
Tumisang Butswane, a Comm Serve Environmental Health who is part of the team members running the project said, “It is touching to be part of this project.
“Sometimes we overlook what is seemingly small in our sight. Today, someone will go to bed with food in their stomachs. That to me is a big deal.”