Stories From The Field – Page 8

Buwala Orphanage Progress Report

December 11, 2013

It’s mid-December, and the children at St. Paul and Rose Orphanage in Buwala District near Jinja, Uganda, have just finished their fall term at school. They are looking forward to Christmas as they enjoy their holiday break. This has been a terrific year for everyone at the orphanage where, thanks to the generosity of DIG’s donors, a new pit latrine has been installed to replace the old one. It may not sound glamorous, but it is truly a gift

Community Transformation

Home is Where the Heart Is

December 9, 2013

Lucille Otieno is what we call a true matriarch. She is a mother, grand mother, and great grandmother several times over and has been the primary provider for her large family for several years. Due to several unfortunate circumstances, Lucille supports two of her granddaughters, Selena and Florence, as well as all of their children, each of whom have found refuge in her small home. Lucille is a small scale farmer by tradition. She got involved with DIG because of a

History of Our Growth

Through the Lens, Burkina Faso

September 23, 2013

DIG started working with the Lamizana Military Camp in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in March 2013. Our focus was to address the nutritional needs of the hospital’s HIV patients through the construction and implementation of a demonstration garden that focused on training participants in sustainable agriculture and nutrition for people living with HIV. The project is halfway through and we’ve been thrilled with the progress to date. Check out some photos we’ve captured along the way. We have loved working with this group

History of Our Growth

Home Gardner Spotlight: Millogo Estelle

September 23, 2013

Millogo Estelle is a DIG gardener at our Lamizana Military Camp in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She is part of a group called A.M.E.S. which stands for Association Militaire D’Entraide Etde Solidarite. It is an HIV support group that DIG started working with at the end of March 2013. Estelle’s husband worked for the Burkina Military and died in 2010. For awhile she received food aid to help support herself and the 5 children in her care. Last spring, unable to

Women's Empowerment

Local Facilitator: Sarah Obonyo

September 19, 2013

Meet one of DIG’s stars and amazing Local Facilitators, Sarah Obonyo. Sarah is the mother of 4 beautiful children and wife to a loving and supportive husband. She lives in Rongo in Western Kenya and has a passion for learning. While Sarah never finished secondary school she is incredibly intelligent and has proven to be a more than capable teacher and an irreplaceable member of the DIG team in Kenya. Sarah started working for DIG last year after she proved herself to be

Press

13th Annual Summer of Love Pool Party Benefits Development in Gardening

September 18, 2013

DIG would like to say a BIG thank you to San Diego supporters Paul Davis and Fred Paisley for their creative and festive fundraising this summer! Love is in the air – at least it was on Saturday, August 17th. Over 100 guests came out to support the 13th Annual Summer of Love Pool Party to benefit Being Alive and Development in Gardening (DIG). Party Hosts, Paul Davis and Fred Paisley, were excited that the pool party raised approximately

Income Generation

Hellen Odira Omingo: DIG Farmer and Entrepreneur

September 18, 2013

I spent this morning with Hellen Odira Omingo, a DIG farmer participating in our Producer Group Program in North Kamagambo, Kenya. Hellen is a widow blessed with 4 children and a beautiful spirit. She was trained by DIG last year in our Farmer Field School program and selected to join the Todnal Producer Group. DIG launched the Producer Group Program several months ago as a pilot program to help small-holder farmers shift their perspective from subsitence farming alone to farming as

History of Our Growth

Stories from the Field: East Africa Update

May 27, 2013

Spending the last few weeks visiting DIGs projects happening in Kenya and Uganda have not only been an affirming experience for me but even more so, an inspiring one. After incredible fundraising events in Southern California and Colorado, my month of May has been committed to seeing what DIG has been doing first hand and sourcing out the stories of inspiration that best reveal our work. Having photographer/videographer, Bob Miller, along to capture DIG’s story on the ground has made

Climate Resilience

Stories from the Field: Burkina Faso

May 27, 2013

Turning the Sahel into a Garden: Hot, dry and dusty are the most descriptive words that describe the current state of Ouagadougou. One can sense it wants to rain so badly and indeed we have had two rains, however the ground is so hot and crusted it just seems to evaporate within hours and it is as dry and dusty as it was before the thunderstorm. When the rains does come next month we should be very well prepared. Even

History of Our Growth

DIG’s 7 Year Throw Back

October 29, 2012

This September marked Development in Gardening’s 7 Year Anniversary. What started as a simple Peace Corp project has flourished into an international organization that has enriched lives and land in 8 countries around the world. This November DIG will revisit our West African roots as we start a new project in the capital city of Burkina Faso. DIG will work with Burkina’s military hospital to provide an urban gardening program to promote sustainable food

Community Transformation

DIG’s Inspiring Youth

October 29, 2012

A report on the Kuna DIG School Garden from the students who manage it. DIG’s Kuna School Garden lies west of Nairobi in the Nyanza Province. With over 800 students and only 12 teachers, this government run school struggles to meet the needs of its population. Through a partnership with the Lwala Community Alliance, the Segal Family Foundation, Starbucks, the International Youth Foundation, and Rotary International, DIG was brought in to help the school develop a garden education program

Adventure Trips

Nyla’s Experience on the “I DIG Kenya” 2012

July 10, 2012

My recent visit to DIG in Kenya in May 2012 was a wonderful adventure thanks to the outstanding leadership of Sarah Koch, the executive director and her DIG co-workers! Our itinerary was well organized and offered a “hands-on” experience to help us understand the mission and work of the Garden Program. We visited many DIG sites and participated in their gardening endeavors. It was special to have the opportunity to meet the Kenyan people in their schools, homes &

Plant Seeds That Reap Life