Hlumelelisa Partners with Thusong Youth Centre

Hlumelelisa has joined forces with the team at Thusong Youth Centre in Alexandra to launch a new community horticulture training programme! We are excited to be working in a community with so much history and cultural vibrancy. This new project that started in November was made possible by the support the of the AgriSETA and Mama Beauty and her team at Thusong. Hlumelelisa's goal is to build a centre of excellence to reach more and more unemployed persons in this community.

Our learners will be trained in ornamental horticulture, food gardening, entrepreneurship and life skills. Below is a photo of our training team at Thusong - Kagiso Monegi will serve as the lead facilitator, Happy Baloyi is also a facilitator, Reginald Mokwena will head up Hlumelisa's practical training and Lynton Johnson will serve as the team's training specialist. Lynton has 40 years of experience in the horticulture industry, has lectured throughout the world and published numerous books. Both Happy and Reginald our graduates of Hlumelelisa's training programme and residents of Alexandra. Stay tuned for more photos from our training here.

From left: Reggie, Kagiso, Happy and Lynton at Thusong Youth Centre.

A Team Farewell

Friday, 19 November was the last day for Hlumelelisa's Office Manager, Stacey Clark. Stacey returned to New York to continue to pursue work in development and poverty alleviation. Though she will still be involved with Hlumelelisa's work on a project basis from the States, her presence on the ground in South Africa will be sorely missed. A few photos from her farewell send-off at Hlumelelisa's training centre at Leeuwkop Correctional Facility. 

Hlumelelisa in the Times Live!

Thank you to Vishanthi Arumugam for visiting our Leeuwkop facility and spending time with Hlumelelisa's team of learners and staff. Read her article here: Hlumelelisa in the Times Live. 

What We Do

Thank you to Wes, Mia and Inside the Big Picture for helping Hlumelelisa share our story and those of our learners! Check out our new video short on YouTube! Hlumelelisa Video Update

A shot from filming day at Leeuwkop.

Summer Starts at Leeuwkop

Just a few photos to start off the season.

Q3 Newsletter

Hlumelelisa's Q3 newsletter is here! Please click on this link to read in pdf. Thank you to our team, learners and network of friends and colleagues for your continued support!

Celebrate Arbor Week!

South Africa's Arbor Week 2011 comes to an end today - celebrate the day by planting a tree! We recently asked our learners in our horticulture training courses at both the Leeuwkop and Johannesburg Central Correctional Facilities about their favourite lesson so far and many responded that it was learning about trees, their names and their purpose.

The official trees for 2011 are the Jacket-plum (common) and Bride's Bushes and the Common Wild Elder (rare) - find these and other trees at two of Hlumelelisa's partners Food and Trees for Africa and the Tiqwa School nursery.

Hlumelelisa learners at the Leeuwkop Correctional Facility shade house facility which is home to many of the trees grown by our students.