Our mission

The non-profit company Helping Hands Horticulture, based in South Africa, was founded in 2026 by Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH (Germany) and Greenhouse Technologies Pty Ltd (South Africa). Our company has set itself the goal of promoting self-sufficiency and livelihoods among young people by teaching how to cultivate vegetables and fruit.

We have extensive knowledge of growing vegetables and fruit, using growing media, and operating a nursery in open fields and in greenhouses. We’d like to pass on our expertise to young people who live on the margins of society and in remote areas. We see our primary task as making an important contribution to self-sufficiency in schools, settlements, and families using simple horticultural methods. In addition, we want to create opportunities to impart horticultural knowledge to an extent that enables people to start their own businesses.

We want the students to

• learn how to grow vegetables and fruit at their schools
• create their own vegetable patches, tree nurseries, and gardens at their schools
• know how to grow vegetables and fruit at home
• be able to be largely self-sufficient
• have the opportunity to pursue a career in horticulture later in life

Our pilot project

We are implementing our pilot project in Zimbabwe. There, we are working closely with the non-profit organization Fountain Rehoboth Helping Hands, which runs several schools in the Masvingo district under the leadership of Bishop Onismo Goronga.

In the immediate vicinity of Rasa Private College on the outskirts of Masvingo, the school has leased a plot of land on which the students are planting vegetable gardens. We have built a greenhouse there. The greenhouse and gardens will soon contribute to the school’s healthy self-sufficiency.

Under the guidance of a trained grower, the teenagers learn how to grow fruit and vegetables under the difficult local climatic conditions. The school curriculum has been expanded accordingly. The students can use this knowledge throughout their lives and also take it back to their families and home villages. In addition, we hope that Zimbabwe will benefit from people with a background in horticulture in the future, as a large part of the local economy depends on the agricultural and crop production sector.

Our project does not use highly technical cultivation methods, but instead relies on simple methods that deliberately take into account the difficult conditions of a region characterized by heat, drought, and rather infertile soils. According to the principles of agroecology, this will in the future also include composting locally available plant residues and then using them as soil improvers. We will start the necessary test series as soon as possible.

The greenhouse and its equipment are financed by Klasmann-Deilmann, the Rotary Club Grafschaft Bentheim (Germany), and Rotary International. Greenhouse Technologies and its subsidiary Crop Supplies prepared the project, built the greenhouse, and are contributing to the financing. Mashuro Mercy Yeukai, a graduate in agricultural and horticultural engineering, is employed as a teacher at Fountain Rehoboth Helping Hands.

Zimbabwe

Located in southeastern Africa, Zimbabwe has a population of more than 15 million people. The country is characterized by a tropical climate, diverse wildlife, and beautiful nature with magnificent nature reserves, including the popular Victoria Falls. At the same time, Zimbabwe is one of the poorest countries in the world. Many places do not have a reliable supply of electricity, and there is a general shortage of water and wells. Agriculture, mining, and tourism offer significant potential for improving conditions. In parallel, the country is making efforts to raise the level of education, also in remote areas.

Many children lose their parents to HIV, as AIDS is a widespread disease in Zimbabwe. The loss of previous aid from USAID is likely to exacerbate the situation. As there are no comprehensive social welfare systems in place, orphans have to fend for themselves and their siblings.

The Masvingo district is located in the southeast of the country, covers an area of 72 km², and is surrounded by national parks. Many of the estimated 95,000 inhabitants live in poor rural areas.

Fountain Rehoboth Helping Hands is a school network in the Masvingo district that provides education and nutrition to disadvantaged children in particular. The organization was founded in 2004 by Bishop Onismo Goronga. Currently, 256 children, most of whom are orphans, receive regular donations and therefore can attend school. Another 500 children benefit from recurring charity activities organized by the schools. The curriculum for grades 8 to 12 at RASA College now also includes agriculture and horticulture.

Helping Hands Horticulture NPC works closely with Fountain Rehoboth Helping Hands. This allows us to build on an existing, solid foundation. Our project does not have to be developed from scratch, and unnecessary parallel structures are avoided.

Background

The world is currently experiencing critical developments in areas that are crucial for the future of humanity and nature. Environmental destruction, climate change, waste of resources, and feeding a steadily growing world population are among the greatest challenges of our time. Against this backdrop, the international community has announced seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals” to be achieved by 2030. This can only succeed if politics, society, and each and every individual contribute.

We believe that business has a crucial role to play in this. Companies have a social responsibility that goes beyond their economic interests. They are obliged to promote sustainable development and contribute to the common good.

Our companies have expertise and resources in commercial horticulture. We know how to cultivate vegetables, fruit, herbs, ornamental plants, shrubs, and trees to achieve vigorous growth, rich harvests, and healthy plants. We know how to produce and use growing media. We know how to build and operate greenhouses. That is why we share our opportunities with young people whose living conditions and career prospects are limited because they live on the margins of society or in remote areas.

We follow the principle of “helping people help themselves.” We want young people to be able to support themselves, contribute to the livelihood of their families, and perhaps even earn a living from horticulture.