Clementine with her son

With support from Gardens for Health, Clementine was given an avocado seedling, a moringa seedling, and a mixture of vegetable seeds, like carrots, beets, swiss chard, and spinach for her home garden. Her one year old son was recently diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, and while he is now, fortunately, recovering, growing nutritious food for the family is particularly important.

Mado in her garden

Mado lives in Kigali with three children. She has a small alleyway along the side of her home, a sunny spot, though small for vegetables with poor soil. With her home garden package from Gardens for Health, Mado has filled the small space with sack gardens. Her favorite vegetable is amaranth, known as “dodo.”

Mado credits the vegetables she receives from her cooperative’s community garden and her own home garden with improving her appetite and her well-being. Her involvement in nutrition and agriculture has not gone unnoticed—her neighbors have taken note of her flourishing home garden and have requested her help in starting their own. Recently, Mado was also elected a community health worker, and she now assists others in the community with improving their own health. She is indeed  a life-affirming example of ‘positive living’, a proactive testament to how one can live well HIV.

Frederick with an avocado seedling

Frederick lives with his family in the middle of Kigali, but despite being in the center of the city, and with only a small plot of land, he has become an avid gardener. With the help of Gardens for Health, he now has the best home garden in his neighborhood. He was recently recognized by the local government for his exemplary show of vegetables, and his neighbors are now following suit. His favorite new vegetable? Swiss chard.

Here Frederick is pictured holding an avocado tree seedling and a new package of vegetable seeds from Gardens for Health, alongside his prized swiss chard.

Frederick with his swiss chard!

Recipients of home gardens are identified through the cooperatives working with Gardens for Health.  The large majority of those receiving support through this project are HIV positive, or have a member of their family who is.  In addition to making antiretroviral treatment more effective, the improved nutrition provided by these gardens can increase resistance to TB, the leading infectious killer for people with immune systems weakened by HIV.

Many recipients of home gardens note that gardening is a part of “positive living,”  that is, living responsibly and well with their disease.  Home gardens allow these recipients to take greater control over their health, and assert independence in a region historically associated with aid dependence.

A home garden!

Though it depends on the season and the needs of individual families, the home garden package generally includes a combination of the following:

• Moringa tree
• Fruit tree seedling (papaya or avocado)
• Amaranth
• Cowpea
• Sunflower
• Neem
• Tephrosia
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Sweet Pepper
• Eggplant