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Sale a way for Plantaholics to support good causes

For the past nine years The Mill Bay Plantaholics, a group of four women (Barb Kohlman, Sharon Martin, Ali Morris and Elaine Scott), have held a plant sale in Mill Bay to support charities.

This year part of the money will provide a secondary school scholarship for Agnes Chazeza, a young woman in Malawi, while the rest of the money will go to Somenos Transition House in Duncan.

Master Gardeners from the Victoria Master Gardener Association are always on hand to provide gardening advice. If you have a problem with a plant in your garden, put a sample in a plastic bag and take it to the experts at the sale.

One of the programs that will be supported from the proceeds of the sale is the Atsikana Pa Ulendo (Girls on the Move) in Malawi. The aim of the program is to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of girls and women living in poverty and in so doing, spark a ripple effect of reduced poverty, illness, malnutrition, early marriage and gender bias.

Last year the students in this program achieved a 97 per cent pass rate in the Malawi School Certificate Examination. When one considers that the national pass rate for this exam is 52 per cent, this is an amazing achievement and is even more impressive when you realize that half of the students in this class are scholarship students, coming from rural village backgrounds of extreme poverty with huge gaps in their educational background. Agnes Chazeza is one of these women.

The second organization that will receive proceeds from this plant sale is Somenos Transition House in Duncan. A program of the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society, Somenos House provides short term shelter and support when women (with or without children) need safety from violence and abuse.

Brochures will be available at the plant sale on Somenos Transition House and all of the other programs offered by CWAV.

So come to the Mill Bay Plantaholics plant sale and support two very important programs through the purchase of healthy, interesting plants for your garden. The sale will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2836 Oceanside Lane, Mill Bay (east off Trans Canada Highway at Kilmalu, south on Church Way, east on Welch Road and south on Oceanside Lane). This is a private garden that customers can tour at their leisure.

For more information phone Elaine at 250-743-0965.