Cultivating Growth: Training the Residents at GE

When Gan Eiden was proposed a few months ago, one of the main objectives was to provide follow-up support for the residents so that they have the skills and resources to maintain a sustainable project. 

Training material was compiled to include aspects of sustainable food production, lifestyle education, waste management and food preparation. Ideally, these sessions were meant to build capacity and focus on skills development.

The residents at the kibbutz may be mentally challenged, but they’re not hindered in their enthusiasm to learn. Though we expected few to participate in the training, when the first session commenced, almost all of the 22 residents attended – and loved it!

First up was a session on basic Permaculture principles. Permaculture Ethics and Principles were discussed, eco systems were explored and the idea of ‘sustainability’ was explained in a straightforward manner. Residents got a good idea of how all of these concepts applied to their on-site garden.

Next up was a session on companion planting and intercropping. Residents learned about how companion plants can benefit one another in so many ways and how bad companions can impede good plant growth. Various modes of intercropping – as well as their many benefits - were also explained and demonstrated.

Colourful posters that reinforced and illustrated these ideas were put up in the common room. Two posters, however, seemed to elicit the most interest out of the ten or so that were erected: the first was the ‘Companion Planting’ poster and the other was the ‘Recycling’ poster. Possibly, the reason for this interest was that they could apply these concepts to both their time spent preparing food in the kitchen and the limited time that was spent in their new Permaculture garden.

Overall, the training was a positive indication of how the practical and the theoretical can merge in such a beneficial way as to build capacity and engender even more interest in the project. Each session is aimed at providing the residents with transferable skills and bringing them one step closer to developing sustainable livelihoods. And if this enables them to work as a team, interact with nature, improve their self-esteem and adopt life-affirming and health-promoting values, then we’ll be able to say that they passed with flying colours!