Gardening in refugees’ camp

Tesfaye’s proudest project is the refugees’ gardens. “These people live in a camp where their main source of food are the food rations. They receive cereals, sugar and oil but that doesn’t make a healthy, nutritious and enjoyable diet on its own. That is why we developed the project of home gardening, financed by ECHO1. It targets household with children or pregnant and lactating women affected by malnutrition to support their nutrition status,“ explains the food security and livelihood officer for Action Against Hunger in Gambella region.

Nyalwal, 30 years, is one of the 483 people who participates in the program in Nguennyyiel camp. She is standing in front of her garden, as Tot, one of the community workers, shows her how and where to weed out. “I followed the instructions as well as I could. I have the chance to have a large space because I’m in the oldest part of the camp. The first arrivals received bigger spaces than the latest. So, I was able to transplant the sprouts and give them space to grow.” Nguenyyiel camp was designed to shelter 50,000 people, but it is currently hosting more than 86,000 South Sudanese refugees.