In partnership with Lwala Community Alliance and supported by Segal Family Foundation and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, DIG has implemented a program to bring improved farming knowledge, food security, and new practices to the Lwala community.

This project started with the development of a vegetable garden on the Lwala Community Hospital grounds to act as a demonstration plot for the community and to supply vegetables to the hospital and community. The demonstration garden at Lwala Community Hospital is broken up into different plots designated for hands on trainings. Initially, the training started with 42 people from three groups 1) Umama Salama group, which work as community health workers to encourage safe motherhood and birthing practices; 2) HIV support group; and 3) a youth group made up of young men and women, many of whom do not have enough money to stay in school but can use the skills gained through this program to earn their way back.

The demonstration garden at Lwala Hospital has now trained 184 people trained and counting, as well as developed 417 home gardens, 26 community plots/groups. Additionally, DIG has expanded our work in the nearby community developing new school demonstration gardens at Kuna Primary, Kameji Primary, Sumba Primary, Tuk Jowi Primary and Secondary and Rang’ala Primary.

DIG is also working with the local Ministry of Agriculture and Youth and Child Rural Empowerment Network (YACREN) to develop 8 community gardens with different youth, women and HIV groups in the surrounding area.