Child & Community Health

Health in Action

South Africa is facing a public health crisis as obesity rates rise even as hunger and malnutrition persist Our Health in Action programme is tackling this complex problem via a school-based programme that teaches children about the importance of nutrition, physical activity and healthy lifestyles through engaging hands-on, skills-based activities.

With the support of the Mondelēz International Foundation, Health in Action is reaching more than 100 000 primary school children in 116 schools in 13 at-risk communities in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.

A key component to Health in Action are school gardens, which are used as teaching tools as well as sources of fresh produce for school meals—and the community, in many cases. INMED South Africa and its partners supply the materials for the gardens as well as training for school food handlers, teachers, administrators and community members.

Community Health

For over a decade, we have pioneered the use of school- and community-based aquaponics in South Africa to improve the nutrition, health and food security in disadvantaged communities.

Through the Health in Action Programme we have we have established two community Aquaponics Centres to provide a reliable supply of fresh food to schools and families in low-resource neighbourhoods.

• 1. Our Aquaponics Centre in Soweto (next to the Elias Motswaledi health clinic) where we share our harvests with individuals in need and provide regular workshops on nutrition, low-fat cooking and healthy lifestyles.
  2. The Aquaponics Centre in Port Elizabeth is located at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University-Missionvale Campus. The system’s harvests are supplementing the feeding schemes of the university and disadvantaged schools in the surrounding communities.

Both centres serve as research and training tools for teachers, students and the public.
We have also installed three installed three aquaponics systems at schools in Gauteng, thanks to funding from Air Products South Africa.