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| A mother in Burundi tends her family garden. |
Lush gardens rich with life are flourishing in Burundi.
Even in dry season when the sun beats relentlessly on the crackling earth, the orchards and backyard plots of Kayanza and Kabarore supply abundant food to thousands of families.
From bright red tomatoes to juicy pineapples, home gardens are dramatically improving the nutrition of once-impoverished homes. Children now eat fresh produce year round. Parents have a perennial source of income they can rely on.
Just this past year, FH Burundi aimed to help 1,200 new families start their own home gardens. The people were so excited, however, that 1,755 families across multiple communities signed up to participate! In the process, FH staff helped families whose gardens had fallen into disrepair. They rehabilitated existing garden structures and prepared the soil for planting again.
And when hungry insects descended on many of the gardens during dry season, FH trained families on treating their plots with safe, non-chemical insecticides. They applied natural solutions like ash and pepper. They pulled up weeds and laid down protective beds of mulch to ward off future pests.
The value of these gardens to families working tirelessly to carve out a new future for themselves cannot be overstated. Child malnutrition is fading into the shadows of the past, like a bad dream vanishing in the light of a new day. Mothers can walk outside and pluck dinner from their backyards, saving a significant amount of money on groceries. Money that can be spent on school fees, home supplies, medicine, and building a family business.
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Click through these photos to see more family gardens in Burundi!
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