Bumper Harvest!

(written last weekend)

Today was my best day in Namibia. We harvested our community garden. For someone who has never gardened before, it was like many small miracles. In Namibia, the climate is so dry and hot, that vegetables sprout out like mad. Last year, the community in which I live was awarded a “U.S. Ambassador Self-Help Gran” to expand a garden and open a soup kitchen for individuals living with HIV/AIDs. A lot of time went into planning, shopping, planting, and finally today; we harvested some of the vegetables to sell to generate income to move the project towards self-sustainability.

We harvested HUGE beets, carrots, onions, and spinach. The people working on the project are amazing. We are very fortunate to have a stellar community leader who conceptualized and initiated the project, and she is able to command the support of many community members. Those that come to garden volunteer their time in order to help their community. In a very small, rural Namibian village where you literally cannot buy fresh vegetables, the project is helping many people by making these available to them.

Figures vary; but between 25 and 40% of Namibians are infected with HIV. Infection rates vary widely throughout the country. In my village, there are many people infected with HIV. In Namibia, anti-retrovirals (ARVs) are free. While it is fortunate that they are provided free of charge, ARVs wreak havoc on the body, weakening the body. It is thus very important that one on ARVs eats very nutritious food, exercises, and generally takes excellent care of their body. Due to extremely high poverty rates and unemployment, this is often not possible for people here. The project therefore aims provide these people with at least 1-2 healthy meals per week, full of fresh vegetables and nutrients.

The soup kitchen will be launched soon. We are optimistic about the positive impact that it may have on the community. There are always challenges and temporary setbacks with community development work, but incremental change is certainly possible.

Below are photos of the community garden, harvest, and preparation for sale in the village:

This is what the beets look like cut. I had to photograph them, because the vitamins practically jump out and into you!

Later in the weekend, I visited another friend in the location. She showed me these beautiful, neon-green worms, with silver detail. They eat them! Below are the worms, my friend, and her daughter.

Finally, I was very impressed with the boarding school students this weekend. About 6 of them came over Sunday morning, and told me they were going to church –without an adult, just small groups of kids, taking the impetus to get up, decide to go to church, and to get dressed up. Here is a photo of two of them: