FAIRHILLS… FAIRTRADE… FAIRING WELL
Over the past 8 years a successful Fairtrade initiative, Fairhills, has been established between Origin Wine and producers in South Africa’s Breedekloof valley, making a significant impact on the workers there. The success of Fairhills has seen the employees and their families gain many life changing benefits, with more planned in the future.
In 2012 Pieter and Christine Viljoen, of Lemoenpoort farm, decided to join the Fairhills/Fairtrade Initiative. They supply their grapes to the Brandvlei Cellar where some of the Fairhills wines are made. Their farm has been in the Viljoen family for six generations, and some of the workers’ families have also lived on the farm for decades. Pieter and Christine had existing facilities for their workers, but they wanted to do more.
There was a crèche on the farm, but it was only used temporarily when the women were harvesting and the children were managed by some of the grandmothers who were not properly trained.
Thanks to the premiums paid for the Fairtrade wines, this crèche could be upgraded in 2013 into the pristine facility it is today, complete with four classrooms for different age groups, each with a dedicated, trained teacher.
The project was a joint undertaking with the neighbouring Fairtrade farm Middeldoornrivier, owned by Willie and Gill Viljoen, who now also send their workers’ children to Haasbekkies every day. The crèche also accommodates children from two other farms in the area who aren’t Fairtrade certified but pay extra to have their children schooled here.
Haasbekkies
Training was provided by the Department of Education at the Boland College for the principal, Moira Fourie, and other teachers received part-time training through the “Leer-en-Leef” (Learn and Live) programme. On completion of these courses, each graduate of this programme also receives an Educational Kit to the value of R8,000 which she can use as an aid in the classroom.
The crèche also boasts a lovely play area as well as a kitchen where healthy, wholesome meals are cooked twice a day.
There was an existing primary school on the farm for Grades 1-6, but thanks to an additional foreign donor, a Grade R class was opened to receive ‘graduates’ from Haasbekkie, making sure each child is school-ready and taken care of. The Department of Education sponsors the Gr.R teacher.
Moira Fourie (right), principal, with the 4-5 year olds, and supported in the afternoons by Jusmine Cupido
Christine explains that while the Haasbekkie Crèche is the biggest beneficiary of Fairtrade funds, the farm runs several other projects including funding for the following:
- 66% of the cost of the school uniforms
- School stationary
- 3 teacher’s aids
- Occupational therapy from Drumjoy, where the children learn listening skills through play therapy
- A Women’s Club which provides educational and leisure activities
- A Rugby Club for the men which includes transport to Saturday matches
- A blind boy from the farm attends the Pioneer School for the Blind in Worcester
- A promising youngster from Middeldoornrivier has his school and hostel fees sponsored at Drostdy High School in Worcester
- A young student is studying teaching at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
- A bus shelter was constructed at the roadside where the high school children wait for the bus to take them to schools in Worcester.
- Rain jackets were provided for the workers
- A lawnmower was purchased to maintain the workers’ gardens and there is an annual sponsored garden competition.
The Viljoens are grateful for the investment Origin Wines was prepared to make in getting their farm Fairtrade Certified. All it costs them now is time, particularly for Christine who is the administrator of the projects on their farm. “You must start with a heart to do something for your people, but the reward is seeing happy, healthy, smiling faces every day.”
NEWSFLASH:
The principal of the Haasbekkies pre-school facility, Moira Fourie, was recently announced the overall winner in the Western Cape of the Social Development Category of the Prestige Agri Worker Awards.
Moira Fourie with her awards
Moira grew up on the farm but initially didn’t matriculate and spent years doing domestic work and caring for the elderly. Through Christine’s encouragement, she completed her matric at the age of 32 and was persuaded to head up the school, receiving funding from the Department of Education to study Early Childhood Development at the Boland College in nearby Worcester.
This mother of three describes herself as a highly motivated individual who loves caring for people and gives her all every day. On receiving her award, Moira had this to say: “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what matters is how many times you get up, shake yourself off and go forward.”
-Julia Moore