Real+Life+Examples

Real Life Examples Fellows of Echoing Green

 Gardens for Health International
 * Website:**[| Gardens for Life International]




 * Fellows:** Julie Carney and Emma Clippinger




 * The Main Idea:** Enable HIV-positive individuals to improve their nutrition and health through low-cost sustainable agriculture practices.

Many people in Africa who are infected with HIV/AIDS are living in poverty, with almost no means to acquire food for their families. It has been researched that over 90% of Rwanda's population depends on farming. However, seeds and farming tools are unavailable to the poor. Since there are so many parents who die from HIV/AIDS, it is not a surprise that thousands of children are orphaned each year without means of supporting themselves.

Gardens for Health International provides support to communities of people living with AIDS. This organization enables people to form small farming businesses and also to gain access to arable land. GHI provides micro-loans to the poor, and gives training (farming businesses).

Here is a little part of Emma Clippingner's interview about her organization that she found wtih Julie Carney.

//"Gardens for Health works at the intersection of HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and agriculture to address the "nutrition gap" in HIV/AIDS treatment. Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, projects designed to improve agricultural production often fail to address the needs of a population's more vulnerable members, such HIV-positive individuals. Gardens for Health designs agriculture and nutrition programs that actually target the specific needs of HIV-positive individuals. These programs provide not only a continuous supply of nutritious food, but also a source of income and community empowerment...GHI plans to provide inputs (irrigation support, tools, seeds, organic manure) to five additional sites in the Gasabo District and expand the number of cooperative members participating; to increase number and variety of high-nutrient fruit and vegetable seeds; to establish 180 home gardens in the Gasabo District; to introduce an agrobusiness pilot project using greenhouse technology for improved tomato production; to hold a week-long nutrition training session; to hold a week-long organic agriculture training session for cooperative leaders and agronomists; to develop a specialized nutritional counseling home visit program for underweight members..."//

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Although there were no personal examples given by this organization, there were some broad examples of the impact that "Gardens for Health International" had on the people. Basically, the primary benefits that the people with AIDS had from this project was that over the years that this project was put into play, the nutritional level went up dramatically. With higher level of health, the economy within Africa has improved greatly. Families gained new sources of income through small-scale farming and agricultural opportunities and businesses. Since ninety percent of the population relies on farming for income, teaching them about businesses that could be made through farming has provided money relief to many people. These people are then able to receive treatment for AIDS (not cure it, but just relieve it), which was unaffordable before. There are ultimately less children orphaned as a result of AIDS across Africa.
 * Impact on others:**

Approximately 4,000 people affected with AIDS has become a part of this new program over the years. Right now, the program works with 683 direct beneficiaries, and about 2732 indirect beneficiaries (the family of the AIDS infected patient). Thus, it could be said with confidence that this program ultimately had a huge impact on the beneficiaries and the families of the beneficiaries.