WELCOME TO LILIAN NGOYI HALL
Lilian Ngoyi Hall Banner
A very warm welcome to Lillian Ngoyi Hall. To those of you who are returning - welcome back. A special word of welcome to our first year students – we look forward to getting to know you and helping you integrate into the life of the University and the Hall.
Lillian Ngoyi Hall is the newest Hall on campus – and its newest residence (Joe Slovo House) was occupied for the first time in 2009. Being a new Hall, we are presented with a unique opportunity to develop our own ethos, culture and traditions. Our Hall Constitution was passed by Senate in 2009 and we hope to finalise the coats of arms for the Hall and Joe Slovo House in 2010. This will allow members of the Hall in 2010 a unique opportunity to have a tremendous impact on the development of our Hall culture and I would encourage you to make the most of this opportunity.
Our Hall is named after Lillian Ngoyi, a person of incredible courage and integrity and we can all learn a great deal from her example, working hard to make the most of the academic opportunities Rhodes offers while always remembering to extend ourselves in service to others.
2010 promises to be an important year for our country, with the Soccer World Cup in June/July. I urge you to make the most of your education (it is a scarce resource), get involved in the activities offered by Rhodes, play sport, join societies, offer your services in community engagement and play your part in making 2010 a memorable one.
I hope that 2010 is a fantastic year for you and for our Hall. Good luck!
Hall Leadership weekend
Yours sincerely
Jeremy Baxter
HALL WARDEN
Lilian Ngoyi Hall students grow vegetables for the community
Lilian Ngoyi Veggie Garden
Communities and individuals last week celebrated World Food Day (16 October) and Food Week, marked annually and dedicated to “achieving food security, especially in times of current economic crisis."
On the African continent where the shortage of food is particularly acute, celebrations were seen as a prime opportunity to increase public awareness of food problems on the African continent. “The day offers a unique opportunity to urgently raise awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger, reflect on the rising tide of world hunger and take a fresh approach to agricultural and food security policy-making,” said the African Development Bank, a large investor in the continent’s agricultural sector and a major supporter of efforts to rid the continent of hunger.
Closer to home, learners from various Grahamstown schools, members of the community and municipal officials joined Umthathi Training Project (UTP) to celebrate the day and "to raise awareness of the circumstances of millions of people in the world who are going hungry every day".
According to Marlene Mitchener, director of UTP, about seven out of every 10 people live below the bread-line the Eastern Cape.
It was perhaps with the “food crisis” challenge in mind that the Lillian Ngoyi Hall students conceptualised and initiated a Hall Community Vegetable Garden project – a one-of-a kind student community engagement project at Rhodes University - at the beginning of the year.
Lilian Ngoyi is a new Hall, only constituted this year, and students wanted a unique project in which everyone could become involved. The Lillian Ngoyi Hall Community Vegetable Garden which came about following a spirited brainstorming session with community representatives, was formally launched In February 2009.
It is project that is led by the Hall Community Engagement Representative, Kiarin Gillies, and has been shepherded and underpinned by Dr Petra Gentz, a Claude Leon postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, and Mr Jeremy Baxter, a lecturer in Statistics and also the Warden of Centenary House.
A Copper Collection was held in O-Week to start raising the required funds and a very successful fundraising drive took place outside Pick n Pay in March. A hollowed out watermelon, lined with tinfoil, made an amusing piggy bank, as did a rain gauge decorated as a carrot. Little bags of seeds were given to people who donated R10 or more, and chillis, from the prolific chilli plant in Petra's garden, were given away.
Sponsors such as Pennypinchers and Phoenix Roller Mills, amongst many others, gave generously, and 22 February saw the first sods of earth being turned. Eighty six students were there to help, and the first day's work involved digging out the ground for Phase 1 of the garden, and raising poles for shadecloth. The Lillian Ngoyi Hall students’ enthusiasm for the project has been maintained; on average, between six and 18 students turn out on a Sunday to work in the garden.
The dedicated nurturing of the garden saw the first harvest gathered in just three months. As the Hall's community engagement project, one of the aims was to provide support and education to two organisations this year. Centenary House chose to support Margaret Ngcangca's House of Joy project in Joza. Margaret cares for 14 AIDS orphans, and the vegetables came as a welcome addition to her food supplies.
Ruth First House chose, as their project, Cynthia's Soup Kitchen, and vegetables were duly delivered to her in Fingo Village. It was at this point that the community representatives realised a further benefit of the project. With the knowledge they had gained by preparing and planting their garden from scratch, they were in an excellent position to offer advice to people wishing to do likewise. Cynthia in fact already had the beginnings of a vegetable patch of her own; with the help of the Lilian Ngoyi Hall students this was weeded and replanted with seeds and seedlings, and a hosepipe was donated to her. In turn, Margaret Ngcangca was also helped to set up her own garden, and both plots are now self-sustainable.
Phase 2, inaugurated later in the year, involved increasing the size of the plot, and was celebrated with a well-attended braai for the student volunteers. Petra and Jeremy have started work on a document detailing how to set up a garden of this nature, and hope that other Halls will take up the challenge. In the meantime, a huge variety of vegetables have been grown. Peas, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, broccoli, lettuce and radishes have all thrived and marigold borders keep out the slugs and insects in a truly organic manner. Four wild olive trees were dug in to celebrate Spring Day, and on Arbour Day the first fruit tree, a plum, was planted.
In September a cheese and wine event, attended by SRC Environmental Councillor David Knowles, was held to celebrate the success of the project thus far. Petra, Jeremy and Kiarin have big plans for 2010 and their enthusiasm and commitment to the project is clearly visible. The Lilian Ngoyi Hall Community Garden seems set to thrive into the future.
Story by Jeannie McKeown