Not far from my home, hugging the N2 highway, there is a ever growing informal settlement. The people in the area do not have food, or work. They lack in almost every one of Maslow's basic needs. There are farms in the area, small holdings designated to local farmers, but these farms have not produces a single crop for the benefit of the community, and some of the farmers have taken to growing marijuana.
There are a number of groups that bring food into the area, focusing mainly on children. This does nothing for the community but train a new generations of people that are dependent on handouts. Just one more example of why charity never works in Africa. Giving someone a plate of food teaches them only that they are dependent on you for their food. If the people do not have emotional ownership of a project if must fail, for they will raid it of every resource available, until only runes remain. But when you join hands with the people and help THEM achieve a new life, then you create a system that can be duplicated.
The Solution is based in education, using hydroponic technology in community garden systems. And also moving the mindset of people from subsistence farming to a point where you produce enough to sell.
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