Our Projects
Work with your mind, think with your heart and feel with your smile
Permaculture as a model for food sovereignty is perhaps one of the most straightforward examples of this kind of solution-oriented thinking - it is regenerative, inclusive, dedicated to finding the solution within the problem, and involves developing a contextual, process-driven understanding of a space and situation for successful implementation.
Permaculture and regenerative agriculture provide wonderful metaphors for an integrated eco-social philosophy, through which we can begin to see and understand the concept of abundance. The more life there is, the easier it is for life to succeed.
Seven Generations Africa
Growing Food. Filling Bellies. Nourishing Souls.
Seven Generations Africa seeks to fuel the movement of growing your own food and views collective sustainability as social justice.
Beginning in selected early childhood development centres in Gauteng, we are working with communities to build hope and resilience, using permaculture principles. We are co-creating sustainable food systems that can feed the children of today, as well as those of the next 7 Generations.
A radical re-imagining and re-organising of our homes, the systems that govern us, our ways of life is necessary if we are to build a resilient, self-reliant and compassionate next generation.
7 Generations saw the opportunity to begin the process with thinking about eery person's access to good quality, sustainably grown food.
Meet The Team
Mary Howe-watson
I am a permaculturist. I spent more than ten years traveling to various countries around the world including Thailand, Israel and South Africa. I volunteered and worked on many organic and permaculture farms with learning techniques adapted to all kinds of climates and conditions. When I came back to Johannesburg, it was time to put everything I learned into action, so I started community gardens, consulting and converting home gardens into permaculture gardens, as well as with backpackers, and schools. I have found working with schools to be the most effective in reaching the most people, and the kids love it, so do I. They are the future. We need to help them create a beautiful world for themselves.
Jacqueline Flint
I have been involved in the visual arts for the last 15 years playing various roles - working as a project manager, curator, writer and editor, workshop facilitator and educator, depending on the context. As such, I have developed a keen understanding of how the arts and design can function as agents for transformation. Over the last 5 years my interest has been honed towards working with children. I Believe that if we as adults have the courage to step into the research of sustainable systems for the future with children (as opposed to for them), the children will lead the way. Permaculture is a wonderful lens to view all this through, as it is the ultimate form of design - by creating the right environment, supportive relationships are allowed to flourish.
Shanti Naidoo-Page
After completing my studies in Communications, I saw the world very differently. I understood how it worked, our life, our work, our systems, but I felt something was not right. I had a dream to re-imagine new ways of living, creating and being in harmony with each other and with nature...while at the same time exploring the depths of the wonders of life. Basically, I seek to merge ancient thinking with modern practices. My vision is that we create a global network for new thinking, to find creative solutions to our problems, uplift those who have been forgotten, and pave an abundant road so that our great, great grand-children may have healthy bodies, genuine smiles, clean spirits and humble minds.
The teachings of permaculture give us the tools to grow a lot of food in small spaces, in sustainable ways without a lot of monetary investment, and once started, it is regenerative. For example, you can build up soil naturally over time, you can also grow and store your own seeds.
Seven Generations is dedicated to empowering communities to grow their own food by providing:
1) Knowledge and Expertise through workshops, workbooks, flyers, whatsapp consultations...
2) The basic resources to get started, which usually is a resource centre within the community. We plant a medium to large garden there, which can supply the seeds/soil/tools for others to plant in their own homes.
3) Support. We ensure long-term support to help people build their network and community.
Grow your own food, share the knowledge, collect your seeds, and grow the network of conscious people who know that you don't need money to have a full, healthy belly.