Venture Description: Our vision is to provide sustainable nutritional independence for HIV+ women through a unique combination of education, training, food production, and community support. In August Umurima gardens will foster supportive communities for HIV positive mothers, engaging them in ongoing discussions and training about proper nutrition and farming techniques. Umurima is designed to decrease malnutrition, enhance long-term food security, and support effective HIV/AIDS early detection, care, and treatment. Umurima consists of two integrated components: (1) small-scale community gardens and (2) education and training on nutrition and agriculture.

Venture Origin: In summer 2006, we were both working in Rwanda (Emma, on an agriculture intervention and Emily, on the national pediatric HIV/AIDS plan). We both confronted the barrier that malnutrition poses to the success of healthcare and agricultural development efforts. We designed Umurima--a project that targets the intersection of our individual work.

Innovation: Our venture is unique in that it ties nutritional support to improved agricultural techniques. It does not promote reliance on long term food provisions that foster a cycle of dependency. It links nutrition to HIV+ individuals as a specific target group.

Impact

Impact: The primary beneficiaries of this project will be the female members of the HIV community associations, and their families. We anticipate that their nutrition will improve substantially over time. The extent of such improvement will correlate with the efforts these mothers themselves devote to sustaining the gardens. With improved nutrition, ARV therapy will work more effectively.

Engagement with the community: We have a great support network from our school communities, which are helping us secure funding and advocate for the project. We also have the support of two Rwandan organizations: 1) Treatment and Research on AIDS Centre, a government body; and the Rwandan network for People Living with HIV/AIDS, which is helping coordinate garden locations and membership.

Impact and engagement progress since launch: We are currently in Rwanda for the winter holiday, working to set up the first two garden pilot sites. We will return next summer to prepare for the first planting season, September 2007.

Impact and engagement strategy: We will continue to involve as many individuals as possible in the US, as well as secure a base of support in Rwanda. We have already made significant steps toward this goal.

Awards: none

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $1000

Money raised: $14,745. This money has come from private donors (businesses, family, and friends).

Creative ways of raising resources: We have set up a website: www.gardensforhealth.org, which is linked to a PayPal account so that individuals can donate directly online using a secure system. This has been very helpful.

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: We are not seeking to expand in the next 6 months. Rather, we are focusing on getting our two 2-year pilot gardens sites up and running by the first planting season.

Plans for sustaining the project: Umurima is designed to be sustainable and self-generating. Ideally, once the women receive the inputs and nutrition and agriculture education and training, they will be able to continue to improve food security, nutrition, and HIV/AIDS care in their communities.

Vision for three years from now: We envision improved nutrition in garden participants and enhanced HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs at the community level.

Project impact: Umurima’s overall objectives are to decrease malnutrition, enhance long-term food security, and lay the basis for effective HIV/AIDS care and treatment. This vision can be captured in the following general objective: UMURIMA’S VISION IS TO PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE NUTRITIONAL INDEPENDENCE FOR HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGHOUT RWANDA THROUGH A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, FOOD PRODUCTION, AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT. THIS WILL LEAD, IN TURN, TO INCREASED EFFECTIVENESS OF HIV/AIDS TREATMENT FOR THESE WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN. The program’s educational objective is directed towards HIV-positive mothers and, eventually, to others throughout their communities as these people observe the success of the new gardens in providing enhanced nutrition. They will be educated in better ways to improve their own health through enhanced nutrition. Special training in biointensive agricultural techniques will be provided to local agronomists, who will in turn train the members of the community HIV associations to practice improved farming techniques. Training will also be given in basic nutrition. This training will occur through hands-on explanations, advice, and guidance. The food production objective will be achieved through provision land for the new community gardens plus basic tools, high-yield seeds, and fertilizer. The HIV-positive women will then carry out the planting, weeding, cultivation, and harvesting. Community support is both an objective and a core process. The entire program is being built around existing community associations. Participants will support one another in their new gardens, and in the broader community. Though we have not yet impacted the two Rwandan communities in which we will work, we will begin to do so when the project commences this year.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: As members of an increasingly globally-conscientious generation, we both feel compelled to engage actively in efforts to alleviate poverty and improve healthcare throughout the world. Our experiences this past summer were pivotal in shaping our understanding of how “development” really works and increasing our desire to effect change. The Umurima project is the tangible manifestation of our commitment to improving health equality across the globe.

Author:
Emily
United States
Website: www.gardensforhealth.org