Nutrition and Food Security garden for 50 families

“We want to expand the garden and incorporate an after-school programme, hence the construction of the hall. In future we would also want to have a library so that our children can have additional studying materials at the centre,” said the headman’’

The group, consisting mostly of women, grows vegetables.

The garden is run by community members including people living positively with HIV, as well as other unemployed women and men from the village.
The centre also has plans to assist the elderly once it has been electrified.

Part of the group’s responsibility is to assist pensioners with household chores in the village.
Although the garden is flourishing it recently collapsed when it was blown away by the wind.

“But we managed to put the structure back, but our crops have wilted,” said the headman.

The project was first established in 2023 and started off as Horticulture, but because of a lack of sufficient rainfall during the last years the project could not go ahead as planned. The project was then expanded in 2024 when the group received a little donation

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND INTERESTS

This project have gathered much evidence that participants and carers have discovered new skills, re-awakened old interests and enjoyed new experiences through the project activities. Alongside the emphasis on the gardening activities, many have expressed pleasure in taking part in the arts and crafts based activities, cooking and other creative sessions:

“People have definitely learnt skills, from when they first started, and were saying ‘I can’t do that’, now that isn’t said and has really altered, people are more comfortable in being creative, exploring that side of themselves”.

Participants have been strong advocates for the project and in some cases have themselves played an important part in its development. Members of the group contributed, for example, through staffing the information stall at a garden open day (featuring work by participants), and acting as project representatives at Advisory Group meetings. One member who regularly contributed to project evaluation with verbal and written testimonies often introduced outside experiences and ideas to the group and, in the final Advisory Group meeting, suggested ways of fundraising using personal connections with external organizations, all signs of a journey from participant to project champion.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Participants and their carers strongly expressed an improved sense of health and well-being as a result of attending the project activities. Some participants with serious health issues, for example, indicated improved communication, showed signs of a happier mood and demonstrated increased physical abilities during project activities. The personal journeys of the participants - and carers – were typically rich and multilayered.

BENEFITS TO THE PROJECT

There is significant collected evidence indicating that participants appreciated and enjoyed attending the project garden. The surroundings were described positively and the atmosphere and staff were highly praised. It was generally agreed that participants received all the support they needed while working on the garden.

LEGACY

Concerns about what would happen when the activities ended became increasingly, and naturally, a source of worry and trepidation for the participants.

Mindful of the impact of the project ending, and recognizing participating individuals’ continuing needs, the project has developed scenarios to address these that involve identifying and signposting post-project options. Contingencies are in place depending on whether a (currently pending) decision about funding support to a follow-on project is successful or not.