Cangallo Vegies

A WORD OF THANKS

This blogspot has been created for the purpose of sharing the development of our Vegetable Garden with those who have assisted us directly or in its development. However, because it has been closely associated with "The Shared Table" project, we also wish to share it with all our friends who continue to support the Shared Table.

For previous blogs go to
www.thesharedtable6.blogspot.com

A recent photo of a couple of the terraces of the Vegetable Garden at Cangallo.

EARLY DAYS

October 2005: The first working bee on the site that was to become the Vegetable Garden. We initially thought that clearing the ground would then enable us to start improving the soil for planting. When we returned the following week to find more rubbish dumped on the area we had cleaned and cleared, it became obvious that we would have to replan our project.

The women work clearing rubbish and chipping out surface rocks.

Serious clearing of rocks, but most of the women were up to the task!

Clearing and burning surface rubble and rubbish.

Mother and child.

November 2005: Building the water water tank which will be necessary to hold water for the construction of the brick fence surrounding the Vegetable Garden.

December 2005: The fence around the ground alloted to us for the development of the terraces is about completed.

COMMUNITY WORKING BEE

We had the great fortune to find Andres who is a simple labourer who works at breaking rocks and building walls and pathways of rock and cement. In 2006 he offered to help us in the construction of terraces for our Vegetable Garden, afterwhich we began to take more seriously the potential of our garden project. In June of 2006 the local Community of Cangallo agreed to organise a Community working bee to assist with the carrying of bags of dirt up to the Vegetable Garden. About 50 people, including women, worked for a couple of hours enabling us to fill the terraces completed to that stage. Then the first serious crops were sowned.

Beginning the day's work.

Working bee in progress.

One of the senior community members directing traffic.

Piling up bags.

A mother from the Children's Kitchen tends an early crop of tomatoes.

The early terraces taking shape and producing the first crops.

Early stages of tomatos and cabbages planted in 2006.

Early crops taking shape.

SECOND STAGE

In the foreground, the second phase of the garden which Andres will soon have completely transformed into terraces. In the background, the settlement of Motupe stretches itself out.

An afternoon working bee with kids from the local community, preparing to sow beans.

Ricardo gives the thumbs up amongst the pumpkins!

A great man at work. All the terraces have been made from the rocks that Andres has dug out of the ground and broken up.

Andres works towards the completion of the second stage of the terraces which will see termination of the project as far as basic infrastructure goes.

YOUTH LEND A HAND

Recently in the month of June 2007, our Youth participating in the Confirmation program committed themselves to a morning's community service. Their assistance enabled us to move 600 bags of dirt in an hour and a quarter and to fill three terraces.