In the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, we distribute tools and seeds so refugees can establish their own kitchen gardens near their homes.
Establishing kitchen gardens is an important part of our green projects in Tanzania. So far, 4000 families in Nyarugusu refugee camp have received land, tools and seeds to become self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables.
The kitchen gardens not only provide food for the families. They also address the need for a more varied diet.
We have consulted with doctors and other health experts to ensure that the kitchen gardens provide access to the vitamins and nutrients that many of the camp's children in particular need to grow and maintain a healthy immune system.
From a climate perspective, vegetable gardens also help maintain biodiversity in areas that are often vulnerable.
Our work with kitchen gardens also involves teaching new and more sustainable planting methods and techniques. This way, we ensure that families get the most out of the plots of land they have available in the camp, while also taking the climate into account.
The course lasts two weeks. In addition to sustainable planting techniques, course participants also receive their own gardening tools and seeds.
I benefit from my vegetable garden in several ways. It provides food for my family and vegetables that I can sell to earn some extra money. It also allows me to help my neighbors when they run out of food.
Evelyn, refugee in Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania
Evelyn is one of the 4,000 refugees in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania who have received help to start a vegetable garden. She fled Burundi and has been living in the camp since 2015.
Although she was also dependent on crops in her home country and therefore used to tending a vegetable garden, she has still benefited greatly from the training she has received through DRC.
The new methods of sustainable planting have ensured that she and her family have access to more food. When the harvest is good, Evelyn even has enough to barter or sell, so she can, for example, buy new clothes for her children.
"I benefit from my vegetable garden in several ways. It provides food for my family and vegetables that I can sell to earn some extra money. It also allows me to help my neighbors when they run out of food," says Evelyn.
