There is a lot of excitement under way in the Nourish Eco Village. Situated 40km from Hoedspruit on the Orpen Road, the village is set to be replicated in the Serville B community. This is on the road to Gowrie Gate, Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, and close to the villages of Utah and Dixie.

  The Eco Village holistic model was the brainchild of Sarah Bergs who founded Nourish NPO in 2011 as a platform to link conservation with community issues and ideals. The concept was to find integrated sustainable solutions to issues plaguing conservation such as poverty, low levels of education, food insecurity and unemployment. This is Nourish’s focus – projects that empower communities and preserve wildlife.

  The flagship Eco Village at Sigagule Village (on the Orpen road) is a delivery platform for on-site projects for the local community, as well as an outreach into the neighbouring  communities. It is here that over a ten year period the holistic programming model for Cradle to Career Pathways to Change has been meticulously developed and refined. The Nourish Pillars and Projects include three essential cornerstones, education, enterprise and tourism.

  Education

  The Nourish Eco Village supports education from early childhood development (ECD) to high school level through various initiatives. The first is the ECD Creche. This serves 60 children. RISE Educare is the heart of early childhood education, and it extends its impact by supporting six additional creches in the community. This support entails infrastructure improvement, teacher training, establishment of vegetable gardens, provision of food supplies, and creation of play areas.

  Then there is the Green Kidz Club. This is after school care catering daily to 70 – 100 primary and secondary school learners. Green Kidz offers a dynamic space for learning and growth. It encompasses a library, environmental education programs, scouting activities, homework support, English literacy classes, creative development opportunities, animal kindness lessons, and sports activities. Moreover, Green Kidz extends its reach to seven different community-based schools by providing environmental education and organising enriching conservation based field trips.

  Lastly, there is the Food Security Program. Nourish Eco Village provides approximately 4 400 meals per month, feeding around 140 children, teachers and staff each day. This program relies, in part, on produce grown at the on-site working farm, fostering sustainability and self-sufficiency.

  Enterprise

  The Eco Village empowers the community through various training and workshops, thereby fostering skill development, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The training and workshops at the Eco Village offers a range of workshops, including permaculture farming and green building, skills development for young adults (computer literacy and financial education), hospitality training, and more.

  The Micro-Enterprise Development is an initiative that nurtures local artisans and crafters, with emphasis on recycled materials. The SEDIWA Hub serves as a sales platform for these entrepreneurs, featuring a craft shop, sewing centre, and coffee shop.

  The working farm and indigenous farming in the village is a sustainable working farm with an emphasis on indigenous farming. The produce supports the feeding program but has also transformed into an agribusiness offering products for sale, thereby contributing to local economic growth.

  Tourism

  Located on the same premises, Shik Shack is part of the Nourish Sustainability Model. Shik Shack Backpackers and Tours caters for tourists visiting the Eco Village, who then have the opportunity to experience authentic rural South African life. This innovative approach channels tourism revenue into the local communities, promoting mutual growth and understanding.

  Nourish believes that the conservation landscape and wildlife cannot exist in isolation from the communities and people that live on their boundaries. Nourish’s founder had a vision of connecting communities to conservation through this holistic Eco Village model. Her dream for the last ten years has been to  replicate it in other vulnerable communities that border on protected areas throughout southern Africa.

  Thanks to a wonderful  collaborative  relationship with Thornybush Community NPO and Andersen Foundation, USA, that dream of replication is now happening with a Green Kidz Library, Grannies’ Kitchen and Playground all under construction at Serville B.