On 1st April 2014, I Can! took ownership of a beautiful 34 hectare farm in the KZN Natal Midlands. Positioned in the heart of the Midlands Meander and surrounded by the uMngeni River, this property was purchased with the sole purpose of providing a new opportunity for our learners with disabilities.
Access to sufficient food is the right of all South Africans. However, today many South Africans are vulnerable to food insecurity. In the case of persons with disabilities and by extension their families, the risks associated with food insecurity are exacerbated through limited access to skills development opportunities and high levels of unemployment.
I Can! has made a strategic decision to impact the lives of persons with disabilities living in rural areas by establishing an agricultural academy, scheduled to open in July 2014 and cater for 20 learners during the first year.
The Academy will focus on the following critical areas, namely:
– Skills Development:
Short learning programs, learnerships & internships
– Employment & enterprise development opportunities:
I Can! will assist selected learners in finding employment & in establishing co-operative agricultural enterprises
– Food security:
Produce from the academy will be used to establish a feeding scheme, run by persons with a disability, within the local communities
A PHASED APPROACH to this project is planned over three years:
Phase 1 (Year 1)
– Selection of learners
– NQF 1 plant production learnership
Phase 2 (Year 2)
– Learners will be placed on a 12 month internship on the I Can! farm
– Learners participate in new venture creation skills development programs
Phase 3 (Year 3)
– Ten learners will be selected to participate as shareholders in a co-operative established on the I Can! Farm, an alternative farm, for 12 months.
– The co-operative will provide learning opportunities for new groups of learners and interns entering the program in subsequent years.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact:
Rowan Robinson
Manager: Special Projects
074 552 0123
Hebron Nguni Farm
15 Petrus Stroom Road, Howick