Diepsloot Combined School gets first Muhammad Ali Centre Peace Garden

The initiative aims to teach underprivileged children multicultural respect, nutrition and hunger relief by growing plants from various countries. It was launched last year in Louisville, Kentucky by the Muhammad Ali Centre with a commitment by Yum! Brands Foundation to provide US$100 000 in grants to build multicultural gardens in underprivileged schools around the world over four years. In its inaugural year, the programme has built approximately sixty gardens for schools and community organisations. Yum! Brands Foundation is underwriting the initiative as part of its World Hunger Relief effort, the world's largest private sector hunger relief effort spanning approximately 38 000 restaurants in more than 110 countries.

Presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony at the school was Yum! Restaurants International CMO David Timm, who was joined by the school's Grade 6 pupils and headmistress Veronica Kgabo.

Getting the children involved

The school has received funding and tools to establish raised garden beds and plant vegetable seeds consisting of spinach, cabbages, Chinese cabbages, onions, beans and peas and fruit trees including pomegranate, granadilla and lemon. Through the initiative, students will participate in all aspects of the garden including planting, nurturing, harvesting, cooking and donating food to the hungry. The local community will also benefit from additional crops produced.

"Muhammad and I are pleased that these gardens are expanding to new continents and are reaching youth who have suffered an immense loss from the 2010-2011 floods that ravaged many areas of Johannesburg, leaving many South African children vulnerable to the devastation of malnutrition," said Lonnie Ali, co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Centre. "Having children learn about healthy foods, an appreciation for nature, and respect for one another, are all goals of the initiative. We are grateful to our partner who is making this all possible."

"We are thrilled that Yum! Brands selected our school to teach students how to use a garden to learn multicultural respect and hunger relief and we hope that we will be an example for other schools in our country," added Kgabo.

Educators around the world are able to access the model programme including a free downloadable teacher curriculum guide by going to www.mypeacegarden.com.