National Gardening Week – An inspiration to boost gardens and food for Malawi’s Children
To celebrate National Gardening Week in the UK, our in country director Simon Msukwa discusses the importance of kitchen gardens in rural Malawi.
“Growing in the rural parts of Malawi, gardening has been part of our daily/annual activities as they form a basis for the food we eat. However, recent studies in the country, have revealed high levels of malnutrition, undernutrition attributed not only to the quantity of food stuffs, but also to quality of food combinations we consume.” says Simon.
Malawi Government has thus embarked on a big campaign to end malnutrition, starting with children. Pump Aid supports government efforts through facilitation of nutrition education, improving young child feeding practices and empowering women and caretakers in Child-Based Care Centres (CBCCs).
The organization builds community’s capacity to establish kitchen gardens, where they grow a variety of vegetables and herbs. These gardens are watered from water points installed by Pump Aid at CBCCs.
By growing their own food, the CBCCs provide nutritious meals for children in their care, while also teaching them about gardening and healthy eating habits.
“The crop produce we get from the kitchen garden, helps a lot here at the CBCC. We sell some of it and the money collected is used to buy some necessities for the children such as sugar and salt for their porridge, as well as soap to use when washing their hands. Apart from selling, we use the vegetables to prepare relish for the children. Some of it is added to their porridge,” said Luciano George – Caregiver.
At Pump Aid, we are committed to supporting the establishment of kitchen gardens in CBCCs across our programme areas in Malawi. Through our training programs and ongoing support, we will continue empowering communities to take control of their own food security and nutrition, as right to food is not right to be fed.
By working together, we can help create a healthier and more sustainable future for all Malawians. If you’d like to support the development of kitchen gardens at CBCCs, please consider making a donation today.
