Fwd: FW: [Food-news] Urban Agriculture Helps AIDS-affected Youth

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> *Editor's Note: The AIDS pandemic in Africa has had

> a devastating impact

> on food security,commonly causing the death of a

> family's major food

> producer and leaving behind orphaned children who

> must become household

> heads and secure food for siblings. In Zimbabwe,

> The Mission to Live

> Trust has conducted advocacy work since 2003 to

> promote children's

> rights and the elimination of stigma and

> discrimination . An innovative

> new project by the Trust tackles food insecurity by

> investing

> approximately $165,000 USD in an urban agriculture

> project in suburban

> Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The project will provide both

> sustenance and income

> for AIDS-affected orphans. The project confirms the

> many purposes and

> values provided by urban agriculture, a multiplicity

> of benefits that

> needs to be at the fore of all policy development in

> this area. JK**

>

> The original article can be viewed at:

>

http://www.chronicle.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=1194 & cat=1 & livedate=1/13/2006

>

>

<http://www.chronicle.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=1194 & cat=1 & livedate=1/13/2006>

>

> *Food security programme launched*

>

> Health Reporter

>

> THE Mission to Live Trust, a nongovernmental

> organisation, has launched a

> food security programme worth more than $1,5 billion

> to assist more than 3

> 000 orphans in the city.

>

> In an interview, the Programmes Coordinator, Mr

> Nkululeko Tshuma, said the

> one-and-a-half-acre plot in New Magwegwe suburb

> would go a long way in

> assisting orphans in the city.

>

> He said the planting of maize was the first phase of

> the programme that

> was expected to assist the orphans with food and

> school fees.

>

> " Many orphans are suffering especially those in

> child headed families.

> Through this programme, we intend to assist them

> with food most of whom

> were being overwhelmed by the burden of playing the

> role of parents to

> their siblings at a young age, " said Mr Tshuma.

> " Part of the maize that

> will be harvested will also be sold to enable us to

> raise money for the

> payment of school fees. "

>

> He said the organisation was expecting to harvest at

> least 30 tonnes of

> maize.

> Mr Tshuma said the second phase of the programme

> would involve the

> establishment of income generating projects that

> include market gardening,

> poultry rearing and the establishment of herbal

> gardens.

>

> He, however, appealed to he business community and

> other interested

> stakeholders to assist in whatever way they could so

> that more orphans

> could benefit from the programme.

>

> " Clearly the resources we have are limited and we

> would like to appeal to

> the community, the business community and other

> stakeholders to come and

> assist us to make this programme a success and to

> benefit more orphans in

> Bulawayo, " said Mr Tshuma. He said they needed

> funds to drill a borehole

> at the site and a fence to secure the field.

>

> In Zimbabwe, the HIV and AIDS pandemic has made more

> than one million

> children orphans. About 20 percent of the country's

> 11.6 million

> population is HIV positive, down from 24.6 percent

> two years ago.

>

> * Foodnews welcomes our newest contributing editor,

> James Kuhns. James

> has worked for many years in Ottawa and Toronto in

> food security work,

> including food banks, community gardening and food

> policy council

> development. He holds an M.Sc. from the University

> of London in

> Agricultural Development.

>

> --

>

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