Danielle had said Mr Bikkie might give me a tour of the farm. I asked, and he was very happy to do that, first the village, then the farm. Mr Bikkie manages both. Here we are, ready to go.
This is the village. These are the houses the young people live in with a mother figure and others in the house. The mother figure does not have a partner. It seems they are totally dedicated to the children in their house. There are 10 houses - six here and 4 outside the complex.
These are home-grown vegetables.
This is the Community Village Hall.
This is a free-roaming chicken with its 4- or 5-day-old chicks. Cute.
Then we drove 20-25 minutes to the farm. It is 8 hectares. Here is the map. I have also got the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in there because it borders the farm.
This is the road that runs by the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.
We see springbok through the fence.
The purpose of the Serowe Community Farm is to:
Grow vegetables and other crops for the SOS Children’s Village to improve food security for the children;
Provide agricultural and life skills training;
Create employment and income opportunities for members of the surrounding community; and
Contribute to the long-term sustainability of the SOS Children’s Village.
These goals align with SOS Children’s Villages’ broader model of strengthening communities and caring for children.
"SOS Children’s Village Serowe opened in 2008 and provides family-style homes, early childhood education, and community support programmes. The organisation’s mission is not only to care for children but also to strengthen families and communities so children can thrive. Supporting a community farm aligned well with this mission."
The Botswana Government allocated the land to SOS many years ago. Danielle and Lincoln Dal Cortivo's commitment was that the funds provided to SOS Children’s Villages Botswana would create an ongoing, sustainable income source while ensuring a difference could be made to children now and well into the future. So they contributed to the farm. They raised money for the farm through their project Raize the Roof.
"Raize the Roof is a remarkable Australian charity, founded in 2009 by Danielle and Lincoln Dal Cortivo (siblings) in Canberra. Their vision was simple but ambitious: instead of holding a one-off fundraiser, they built an entire house using donated land, materials, professional skills and volunteer labour, then sold it and donated the proceeds to help disadvantaged children. They also donated a wish for 37 seriously ill children in Canberra and the surrounding regions through the Starlight Children’s Foundation and supported its programs. And they donated in Botswana."
Danielle and Lincoln so far have donated 2,000,000 Botswana pula (A$204,000) to the Serowe Farm. Here's one thing done with that money - they have donated 600 orange trees that need watering every few days!
A bore system inside this.
A solar plant with security features and battery storage. It is the only source of energy for the farm, which means no reliance on external electricity.
A poultry house. There were 140 hens. The solar power keeps the chicks warm in winter and encourages them to keep laying! Some of the eggs are supplied to the Children’s Village, and any leftover eggs are sold to the local community to generate income for the farm.
This one is not in the cages because it is injured. If I were those other hens looking on, I would get injured so I could roam freely.
This is ? the farm worker. He has collected the eggs.
They seem to be doing well - one days laying.
Mr Bikkie puts them behind the seats like this. I move my seat back, and they don't break on the bumpy road.
This is a new addition to the farm - a training and development component for SOS’s young people to learn how to farm and run a business so they can one day own their own farms.
Maybe I could train people like me to co-create and share stories about native species thriving.
They have also funded staff quarters. This is where ? lives. I was fascinated to learn he walked the distance we drove into Serowe for his groceries, etc.
Thank you, Mr Bikkie. A phenomenal project and template/model for other places, and for me, once we get the programme - Let's Co-create and share stories about native species thriving going, with the Khama Rhino Sanctuary right along the fence.
I could do with an orange right now though.
