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To develop a productive training nursery where medicinal plants can be grown and made available to the people who use them. Combine this with a programme of advocacy and cultivation and you get a shift from the harvesting of wild, endangered species to a constant supply, grown by the community.
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Indigenous plants are the cornerstone of South African culture. They are used for food, for crafts and perhaps most crucially, they are used for medicine. In the Eastern Cape, arguably the most vulnerable province in the country, over 80% of the largely rural population relies solely on traditional medicine as their first, and often only, port of call. Some of these plants have proven to be highly effective in fighting off many of the opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS, which is rife in the province. The side effect? Naturally occurring sources are dwindling. That’s why the Africulture Project is working to promote a way of sustainably managing these valuable resources. We’ve secured funding from the EC but it’s dependent on our finding £35,000 to match it. With your support we can ensure that this important work can continue. The project is a collaboration between local training organisation Umthathi, traditional healthcare practitioners, GardenAfrica, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew. The practitioners have a knowledge of medicinal plants that is increasingly being recognised by the World Health Organisation as the key to achieving universal healthcare coverage across much of the developing world. By tackling the loss of biological and cultural diversity, we tackle the issue of poor health in the Eastern Cape and the wider region. We’d love to tell you more about the impact your support will make.