What a Gathering!

Last Sunday, something wonderful happened in Buwanzu village, Uganda.

Seven grandmothers, their grandchildren, and members of our Uganda team gathered at Jennifer's home for our first kitchen garden cooking demonstration.  

And according to Hilda, our director in Uganda, "It felt like Christmas!"

There was excitement as each family arrived carrying vegetables from their gardens. 

There were lessons about nutrition, washing vegetables, and preparing healthier meals. And there was plenty of cooking, conversation, and laughter.

 25 children and 20 adults joined the gathering!

The families combined freshly harvested greens, eggplant, spring onions, spinach, and pumpkin leaves into a delicious vegetable dish. Then everyone shared a meal together.

But here's what makes this gathering especially meaningful.

Our seven kitchen gardens are already helping families provide more nutritious food for their children. Now we're taking the next step, helping them make the most of what they grow.

And something else is happening.

Some grandmothers are beginning to sell their extra vegetables. Milly shared that she bundles greens to sell for 500 Ugandan shillings each. Ten bundles bring in 5,000 shillings, enough for her to buy sugar for her household.

Food for their families. A little income. New knowledge. And a community of women learning from one another.

That's what going deeper with our programs looks like.

Perhaps the best news? The grandmothers enjoyed the gathering so much that they want to make it a regular event, rotating from one family's home to another.

What started as seven kitchen gardens is growing into something much more. 

Thank you for helping make a difference for these families!

With gratitude,

Mary

P.S.  Hilda told us how happy she was to see the children looking healthier and the grandmothers enjoying one another's company. Sometimes the most meaningful progress is right there in the faces around the table.