Urban Rural Development and Capacity Building Project was founded in 2000 by two community leaders, Ms Nompumelelo Ngoqo and Ms Nosipho Sikutshwa who saw the need to step in and alleviate the effect of the extreme poverty in the communities of Langa. URDCBP has addressed a number of challenges by implementing food gardens, expanding and diversifying its services and projects to meet the growing and changing needs of the community.
To date URDCBP administers and oversees more than 22 food gardens on vacant pieces of land belonging to municipalities, clinics, schools, churches and police stations which are utilised to these gardens. URDCBP also run 2 food kitchens and train the community memebers to cultivate, harvest and sell the produce to improve the overall health of the community, create a sustainable income, and provide employment.
The organisation currently has over 144 beneficiaries who benefit from food produced in the garden and 110 beneficiaries who receive a nutritious meal from the food kitchens daily. With the support from FoodBank SA, URDCBP is able to provide one meal per day seven days a week.
URDCBP plans to expand its reach and develop food gardens in other communities that are subject to extreme poverty. The establishment of these gardens does not only feed the hungry but gives hope to the community.