-
News and events
-
A video introduction to SGI's movement for peace
SGI Brochure
-
Contact us
Aug
9
2007
Celebrating National Women’s Day in Cape Town
Filed Under News |
Cape Town member Julie Catto writes:– 9th August in South Africa is Women’s Day, a public holiday, so we decided to do an outreach activity in a nearby community. Our plan was to create a peace
garden at a member’s home; we chose Sweetness, a member who lives near Cape Town in a tiny home with 3 children, a new baby, and a cousin of hers who is expecting a baby in two months time. This is a very poor area, and there are not many plants growing here.
About 15 women and young women members, and a couple of friends, drove out to Sweetness’ home. We brought lots of compost, plants, garden tools, and a fence for the new garden; and soup, bread and juice – some of the members made lots of sandwiches to share with all the people there.
We began the day with chanting – all crowded into Sweetness’ very small house – and then started digging the small plot (2m X 2m square). We had to take out lots of grass and weeds and bits of rubbish. This was hard work but lots of fun, and many neighbours – mostly women and children – came to watch the work. Some of them joined in to help, and there was a wonderful feeling of camaraderie.
We then dug the compost into the earth, and planted the new seedlings and cuttings – some vegetables and some flowers. Finally we erected the fence around the little plot and everyone cheered and clapped! We left space in the garden for a small bench where two people could sit and talk, or read, or just be peaceful together.
The garden looks lovely, and it is right on the street so anyone passing by can benefit from its beauty. The community seemed very pleased to have us there creating something useful as well as nice to look at. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and felt victorious in our activity!