2019 ANNUAL REPORT
Dear Friends, 2019 was indeed a remarkable year for us. Not only did we serve nearly 3,500 families through our direct program and maintained meaningful partnerships that reached about 84,000 people – we also clocked in 10 years serving the Rwandan community. Over the past decade, we have grown into a respected, impactful organization with 66 staff, of which 94% are Rwandan. We have provided nutrition education and agricultural solutions to over 20,000 families. We expanded our reach through partnerships to new districts, primary schools, and refugee camps. As we celebrate ten years of growth, we recognize that it’s been a journey of laughter, joy, frustrations, tears, and most importantly, learning. We’ve learned that we can only understand those we serve when we are close to them. We’ve learned to accept that we don’t have all the solutions, but often the community does. We’ve learned that true change is made not by doing what’s easy, but what’s right. We have also experienced how critical it is to have a supportive community of people like you to drive positive lives transformation, and for that I am extremely grateful for standing with and for us!
SOLOMON MAKUZA Executive Director Gardens for Health International
Our original vision and mission are as valid today as they were ten years ago. It is the right of every child to grow up strong and healthy. Although significant progress has been made, still one in three children under five years old in Rwanda is chronically malnourished. No child should be malnourished in this day and age. Together, we can continue to make these statistics history. In the words of Gwendolyn Brooks, “We are each other’s harvest. We are each other’s business. We are each other’s magnitude and bond.” The harvest we celebrate at this milestone is huge, but there still remains much more in the field. I hope you will stay and join us as we keep working towards ending chronic malnutrition in the next decade. With love, gratitude and vegetables, Solomon
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CONTENTS LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
1
WHO WE ARE
4
OUR HISTORY
6
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF GROWTH
8
IMPROVING MATERNAL NUTRITION
10
SCHOOL FEEDING INITIATIVE
12
EXPANDING TO THE MASORO COMMUNITY
14
OUR IMPACT
16
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
18
THANK YOU
20
FINANCES
23
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THE PROBLEM The majority of the world’s poor are farmers, yet millions are malnourished. In Rwanda, this disconnect between agriculture and nutrition is striking: 80% of families grow food for a living, yet 35% of young children are chronically malnourished. This simple concept, that food alone does not equal good nutrition, is at the heart of our mission. THE SOLUTION To tackle the root causes of malnutrition, we equip families with seeds, skills, and knowledge to create vegetable gardens, prepare balanced meals, and keep children healthy. Transformative impact is possible by investing in the nutrition of mothers and young children, since well-nourished children get sick less often, perform better in school, and are more likely to escape poverty.
ABOUT US Our roots are in Rwanda. For over a decade, Gardens for Health International has been working hand-in-hand with local communities to end chronic malnutrition. Our innovative curriculum on agriculture, nutrition, and health topics was designed in partnership with local mothers, our trainings are led by talented educators who come directly from the communities they serve, and our dedicated staff is over 90% Rwandan. We believe in changing systems, not treating symptoms. Integrating agriculture and nutrition into the health system is the only sustainable solution to effectively treat and prevent malnutrition. We work in close partnership with the Government of Rwanda by teaming up with community health workers, delivering trainings at local health clinics, and advising policy.
WHO WE ARE 4
WHAT WE DO AGRICULTURE: Farming for life, not just a living The long-term cure for chronic malnutrition isn’t found at a health clinic, but it can be grown in one’s own backyard. We partner with malnourished families to enable them to plant home gardens full of diverse vegetables so they have a lasting source of nutritious food. We provide seeds and hands-on trainings in skills like composting, creating pesticides, and other techniques to maximize crop yields using resources readily available to families in rural Rwanda. NUTRITION: Knowledge is the key to change For parents to provide their families with nutritious foods, they must first understand what nutrition is. We teach parents essential knowledge like the benefits of a healthy diet, what makes a balanced meal, and best practices in breastfeeding. Our innovative One Pot One Hour lesson demonstrates how to cook a healthy meal with limited time and resources, so that every mother can provide her children with the nutrients they need to thrive. HEALTH: A comprehensive approach to a complex problem Sick children often become malnourished, which makes them more likely to get sick yet again. Breaking this cycle requires addressing every factor that leads to malnutrition. In engaging trainings, full of song and dance, we educate mothers to identify symptoms of common illnesses and teach proper hygiene practices. Our comprehensive curriculum goes beyond the basics, promoting family planning and creating a safe space to discuss gender-based violence.
OUR HISTORY 2009
Seeking to provide a more sustainable solution to malnutrition beyond shortterm food handouts, Julie Carney, Emma Clippinger, and Dr. Emily Morell founded GHI in Rwanda. Our founders worked with local mothers to develop a curriculum to train families to grow and cook healthy food.
2010
We formed a partnership with two local health clinics in Gasabo District. There, we delivered our Child Nutrition Program to families at the point of care and strengthened the public health system.
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2013
We expanded our operations to four communities in Musanze District, a district in northern Rwanda with extremely high rates of chronic malnutrition.
2011
We expanded our program to two additional health clinics in Gasabo District.
2014
At the invitation of the Government of Rwanda, we dramatically scaled up, bringing our program to the entire district of Musanze through 15 partner health clinics.
2015
We purchased the land where our farm headquarters is located in Gasabo District, firmly rooting our presence in the community and country.
2016
2018
2017
By partnering with Save the Children and the U.S. State Department, we ventured into a new setting: refugee camps. In Mahama and Kigeme refugee camps, we trained refugee families and farmers from the DRC and Burundi.
We launched a new initiative, our Maternal Nutrition Program, aimed at preventing malnutrition before it begins by training at-risk pregnant women. The program incorporated prenatal care education into our core nutrition curriculum.
In our largest partnership to date, we joined the World Food Programme’s Home Grown School Feeding Initiative to train teachers, administrators, and parents at 104 primary schools across four districts, reaching over 84,000 children.
2019
Under the leadership of our first Rwandan Executive Director, Solomon Makuza, we doubled down on our commitment to local leadership and sustainability. We expanded and improved our Maternal Nutrition Program and formed a partnership with kate spade.
CELEBRATING TEN CELEBRATION POEM
By Marie Jeanne, Program Graduate
Today, I come to proudly stand before you to celebrate the origin of our parent GHI. My beautiful and beloved parent GHI Thank you for this secret, I’ve made it my own. Rejoice with me and let us sing of joy so our songs spread this secret across Rwanda. Let me share my journey, the road ahead is long. I learned the importance of a balanced meal composed of four colors Green, White, Brown, and Orange. After learning, I trained my neighbors. The secret is spreading across the hills! Now, our children are healthy and go to school.
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GHI! May your outreach keep growing! Let us join hands and strive for the same goal, near and far from our homes for our children to grow healthy. Let’s chase malnutrition away in every Rwandan household.
YEARS OF GROWTH This year, in Kigali, Boston, and New York, we gathered the extended Gardens for Health family to celebrate the past ten years as an organization. Our founders, current and former staff, volunteers, supporters, and more than 500 program graduates came together at several events to mark this incredible milestone with inspiring poems and speeches, traditional songs and dances, and of course, delicious, well-rounded food.
THE MOUNTAINS AHEAD
By Solomon Makuza, Executive Director
As we approach the threshold of this new phase, we acknowledge the greatness behind us and the new mountains that lie ahead. In the next 10 years, we aim to conquer many of those peaks. We will strive to uphold the values on which this organization was founded, such as the belief in the potential of people, empathy, and a willingness to listen. We will strategically expand our program to where it is needed most and put a focus on community adoption. We aim to position our model to be replicated in other regions. We will invest in our impact tracking, documentation, and sharing. We will continue to influence policy using lessons drawn from the communities we serve. Lastly, we will push ourselves to be more innovative and adaptive to the challenges of ending chronic malnutrition.
“
I’m going to be an ambassador for these trainings. I took notes and already started sharing them with my neighbors. I want to teach these lessons during our village meeting.” —FRANCINE, MOTHER OF ONE
WE EXPANDED TO ALL COMMUNITIES This year, we expanded our Maternal Nutrition Program, which we began piloting two years ago, to be delivered year-round in all 19 communities we serve, training more than 3,000 pregnant women.
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WE LISTENED TO FEEDBACK Our Community Educators are constantly collecting and reporting feedback from participants. We heard their requests for agriculture training and engaging their husbands.
IMPROVING MATER
WE INCREASED FATHER INVOLVEMENT Raising healthy children is a team effort. This year, we launched our Father Involvement Initiative, which provides tailored trainings to husbands of program participants.
WE ADDED AGRICULTURE We doubled the number of training sessions to include our signature organic nutrition-sensitive agriculture curriculum, in addition to prenatal health and nutrition lessons.
“
I support my wife by attending GHI trainings, so that we can raise a healthy child. I want to help her protect our baby from malnutrition.” —JOSEPH, EXPECTANT FATHER
RNAL NUTRITION
WORKING WITH PARTNERS: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME PARTNERSHIP
TEACHING STUDENTS GARDENING English teacher Marie Jeanne peers out from a gaggle of students. “This is a rural area, so some people don’t understand the importance of vegetables, and many children have stunted growth,” she says, “so we educate them.” Across the path, beet plants are peeking through the soil of the Gisovu Primary School gardens. We trained Marie Jeanne in partnership with the UN World Food Programme. Now, she’s in charge of the primary school’s gardening competition. “We created a competition between classes to increase the students’ skills. Each class is trying to make a better garden than the others, and in the process they learn.”
SCHOOL FEEDING INITIATIVE
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The best part, though, is that the students’ newfound knowledge makes its way back home. “When the students cultivate a garden here, they take those skills and start another garden at home. Then, the parents are also learning from their students. I go check on families to see if they’ve created a garden, and I find a spirit for growing veggies and cooking balanced meals.” “I have a dream for my students,” Marie Jeanne reflects, “that we’ll implement gardens in each of their homes and improve the lives of many children. And I’ll achieve that goal!”
“I learned how to grow vegetables, provide a balanced diet to my children, and cook a balanced meal using One Pot, One Hour. With our garden, we will always have a balanced diet. I want to expand and grow vegetables down in the valley. My family will no longer experience hunger and malnutrition.” -Deborah, Mother of five students in Karongi District
“I always get involved in school activities because I am committed. I work with teachers and students in order for this school to achieve success. A teacher never gives up. One day, a few people understand what you teach. The next day, you get two more. The next day, you find yourself having ten people. That’s how it works.” -Vestine, Kibangu Primary School Parent Committee Member
“I learned how to make a balanced meal and that vegetables protect you from getting sick. It’s important to stay healthy so that we can grow mentally and physically. I also learned that I should wash my hands before cooking or eating, since that also prevents diseases.” -Sandrine, Student at Nyabimata School
WORKING WITH PARTNERS: KATE SPADE ON PURPOSE FUND PARTNERSHIP
We partnered with world-renowned fashion brand kate spade new york to improve the nutrition and well-being of the community surrounding their handbag workshop and women’s cooperative in Masoro, Rwanda. This year, we launched our partnership with a pilot program, training dozens of women in the area and measuring the results against a control group. In February, we celebrated with the 70 mothers who graduated from the pilot run of our Maternal Nutrition Program in partnership with the kate spade on purpose fund. Together, we’re bringing seeds, skills, and knowledge to a new community of women artisans and leaders.
EXPANDING TO THE MASORO COMMUNITY
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A new mama looks over the four-colors that compose a balanced meal during a One Pot, One Hour cooking demonstration in Masoro, Rwanda: immune-strengthening green, energygiving white, muscle-building brown, and vision-improving orange.
Local leaders take notes during a three-day Training of Trainers session, in partnership with the kate spade on purpose fund. Afterward, these leaders will take their newfound knowledge home with them to share with members of their communities, expanding the reach of our message.
Improving prenatal
MaternalNutrition NutritionProgram Program Maternal 16
Consumed GOAL: 100% at least ve food groups
Consumed at le
GOAL: 75% GOAL: 100% Did NOT consume at least Consumed ve food groups iron syrup or iron and folic Did NOT acidconsume GOAL: 75%
OUR IMPACT
GOAL: 75%
ONE YEAR FOLLOW DATA ONE YEAR FOLLOW UP UP DATA
GOAL: 75%
54.00%tablets during pregnancy
54.00%
13.00% Defining Minimum Acceptable Diet
Gardens for Health International equips pregnant women with the seeds, skills, and Acceptable Diet is an international standard for measuring nutrition wh 87.00% Gardens for Health International equips pregnant women withMinimum the seeds, skills, and 87.00% knowledge needed to prevent child malnutrition before it begins. The following data is from meets the standards for both Minimum Dietary Diversity (defined above) and Min knowledge needed to prevent child malnutrition before it begins. The following datacare is visit from Attended at least 1 antenatal by graduation To meet the standards Minimum Meal Frequency, 6-8 month old breastfed infant one year follow up surveys that were conducted between September 2018 and August 2019 Attended at least 1 antenatal care visit by graduation one year follow up surveys that were conducted between September 2018 and August 2019 Yes No Attended at least 4 antenatal care visits during pregnancy meals pervisits day, 9-23 month old breastfed infants GOAL: must75% consume 3 meals per day, and refers to program participants enrolled in Maternal our Maternal Nutrition Program No participants Attended at least 4 antenatal care during pregnancy and refers toYesprogram that that werewere enrolled in our Nutrition Program non-breastfed children must consume 4 meals per day. between September 2017 and August 2018. We collected data from a sample of 782 of the between September 2017 and August 2018. We collected data from a sample of 782 of the
Gave birth at a health facility Increased health insurance coverage program graduates. program graduates. Gave birth at a health facility 2,3272,327 Increased health insurance coverage 3.00% 3.00% Minimum Meal Frequency for Children
Improving prenatal health practices Improving prenatal health practices 420
Consumed iron syrup or and acid Consumed syrup or iron iron and folic folic Consumed iron iron syrup or iron and folic acid acid tablets during pregnancy tablets during pregnancy tablets during pregnancy GOAL: 90% GOAL: 90%
13.00% 13.00%
No
Yes
97.00%
advocacy for health insurance, housing or other services. other services.
No
3.00%
GOAL: 75%
53.00%
GOA
71.00%
GOAL: 100% GOAL: 100% GOAL: 75% GOAL: 75%
GOAL: 90%
54.00% 54.00%
No
87.00% 87.00%
Yes
Number of program participants for Attended antenatal care visits Attended care visits Number antenatal of program participants for additional Gave birth at a health facility whom GHI staff provided Attended antenatal care visits 29.00% whom GHI advocacy staff provided additional Gave for health insurance, housing or birth at a health facility
100.00% 100.00%
97.00% GOAL: 75% GOAL: 75% Yes
420
87.00%
Minimum Acceptab
Child met requirements for Minimum Meal Frequency
Child met requirements
Improving postnatal health practices mproving postnatal health practices Improving knowledge of balan Increased knowledge of breastfeeding and Improved breastfeeding behavior
97.00% Child did NOT meet requirem
Child did NOT meet requirements for Minimum Meal Frequency
Attended at least 1 antenatal care visit by graduation Attended at least 1 antenatal care visit by graduation
Yes
Yes No
No
at a health facility ased knowledge of and GaveGave birthbirth atbreastfeeding a health facility Increased knowledge of breastfeeding and complementary feeding complementary 3.00%feedingfeeding complementary 3.00%
.00% 43.00%
GOAL: 90% GOAL: 90%
GOAL: 90% GOAL: 90%
57.00% 57.00%
Attended at least 4 antenatal care visits during pregnancy Attended at least 4 antenatal care visits during pregnancy
Increased health insurance coverage Improved breastfeeding behavior Increased health insurance coverage Improved breastfeeding behavior
2.00% 2.00% 420 420
Yes
No
Improving postnata
Increased knowledge of balanced meal Increased knowledge of balanced meals
19.00%
Increased knowledge of breastfeeding and complementary feeding
Number of program participants Number of program participants for for GHI provided staff provided additional whomwhom GHI staff additional advocacy for health insurance, housing advocacy for health insurance, housing or or services. other other services. GOAL: 100% GOAL: 100%
GOAL: 90%
43.00% 97.00% 97.00% Yes
Yes No
GOAL: 90%
98.00%
98.00%
No
Answered at Answered least 70% of questions correctly at related least 70% of related questions correctly
Knew what food groups make a balanced meal
which foods belongs to those color groups Infant was breastfed thebreastfed last 24 hours Infant in was in the Knew last 24what hours food groupsand make a balanced meal and which foods belongs to those col
Improving postnatal health practices Improving postnatal health practices
Did NOT answer least 70% of questions correctly Did at NOT answer at related least 70% of related questions correctly
81.00% 57.00%
Did NOT know what food groups make a balanced
Infant was NOTInfant breastfed thebreastfed last 24 hours was in NOT in the last 24 hours Did NOT know what food groups a balanced meal and which foods belongs to those meal make and which foods belongs to those color groups Answered at least 70% of related questions correctly
Defining DietaryDietary Diversity Defining Diversity Improving diet Improving diet
43.00%
MinimumMinimum Dietary Diversity is an international standardstandard indicatorindicator for measuring nutrition. Adult women Dietary Diversity is an international for measuring nutrition. Adult women GOAL: 90% GOAL: 100% are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they report to have consumed at least 5 of 10 food are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they report to have consumed at least of 10 foob In 57.00% Rwanda, the prevailing type of malnutrition is chronic malnutrition which is caused In Rwanda, the prevailing type of malnutrition is chronic malnutrition which is5by caused ingroups the last 24 hours. Children are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they report to The following data is from groups one year follow-up surveys that were conducted between September 2018Diversity and in the last 24 hours. Children are considered to meet Minimum Dietary if they lacking micro-nutrients in your diet. Thisdiet. is different from acute malnutrition which iswhich thereport lacking micro-nutrients in your This is different from acute malnutrition is tt August 2019 and refers to program participants that were enrolled inlast our Nutrition Program between have consumed at least 4at ofleast 8 food the 24Maternal hours. have consumed 4 ofgroups 8 foodin groups in the last 24 hours.
result ofresult not food eat. end malnutrition we educate mothersmothe on of notenough having enough foodTo toof eat. To chronic malnutrition we educate September 2017 and August 2018. We having collected data from atosample 782chronic of end the 2,327 program graduates. 98.00% what makes balanced meal and howand to cook with limited andtime resources. whatamakes a balanced meal how healthily to cook healthily with time limited and resource DietaryDietary Diversity for Mothers DietaryDietary Diversity for Children Diversity for Mothers Diversity for Children
tal health practices Answered at least 70% of related questions correctly
Infant was breastfed in the last 24 hours
Did NOT answer at least 70% of related questions correctly
Infant was NOT breastfed in the last 24 hours
DefiningDefining Dietary Diversity Dietary Diversity
Minimum Minimum Dietary Diversity an international standard standard indicator indicator for measuring nutrition.nutrition. Adult women Dietary is Diversity is an international for measuring Adult wom Improved breastfeeding behavior 43.00%43.00% are49.00% considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they report to have consumed at least 5 of 10 food are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they report to have consumed at least 5 of 10 fo 49.00% GOAL: 75%GOAL: 75% 51.00%51.00% GOAL: 75%GOAL: 75% groups in groups the lastin24the hours. Children considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they 57.00% report to last 24 hours.are Children are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they repor 57.00% 2.00% have consumed at least 4 at of least 8 food groups ingroups the lastin24the hours. have consumed 4 of 8 food last 24 hours.
Improving hygiene behavior
Increased knowledge of hygiene
Dietary Diversity for Mothers
Dietary Diversity for Children
Increased knowledge of hygiene Dietary Diversity Improved water purifying behaviorDietary Diversity for Mothers for Children Dietary Diversity for Mothers Dietary Diversity for Children GOAL: 100%
Consumed at least ve at food groups Consumed least ve food groups
Consumed Consumed at least fouratfood leastgroups four food groups
29.00%
Did NOT consume atconsume least ve at food groups Did NOT least ve food groups
47.00%
GOAL: 90%
49.00% 49.00%GOAL: 75% 98.00% 53.00%
GOAL: 95%51.00% GOAL: 75%51.00%
Did NOT consume least fouratfood Did NOTatconsume leastgroups four food groups
43.00% 43.00%
GOAL: 75% GOAL: 75%
Defining Minimum Acceptable Diet Diet Defining Minimum Acceptable
57.00% 57.0
MinimumMinimum Acceptable Diet is anDiet international standardstandard for measuring nutritionnutrition which means a child Acceptable is an international for measuring whichthat means that Infant was breastfed in the last 24 hours
a chil 71.00% meets the standards for bothfor Minimum Dietary Diversity (defined(defined above) and Minimum Meal Frequency. meets the standards both Minimum Dietary Diversity above) and Minimum Meal Frequenc Infant was NOT breastfed in the last 24 hours To meet To themeet standards Minimum Meal Frequency, 6-8 month breastfed infants must consume 2 the standards Minimum Meal Frequency, 6-8old month old breastfed infants must consume 2
giene behavior
meals per day, per 9-23day, month breastfed infants must consume 3 meals 3per day,per andday, 6-23and month meals 9-23old month old breastfed infants must consume meals 6-23old month old
at must least ve food groups Consumed at Consumed least ve food groups non-breastfed children must consume 4 meals day.per day. Answered at least 70% of related questions correctly Boils and covers water before consumption non-breastfed children consume 4per meals
Did NOT answer at least 70% of related questions correctly
Did NOT consume atboils least food water groups Did NOT consume at least food groups Doesve NOT andvecover before consumption
at least four food groups Consumed atConsumed least four food groups Did NOT consume at least four food groups Did NOT consume at least four food groups
Minimum Meal Frequency for Children Minimum Acceptable Diet forChildren Children Minimum Meal Children Minimum Acceptable for Childre Improvedwater waterpurifying purifying behavior Minimum MealFrequency Frequency for for Children Minimum Acceptable Diet for Diet Improved behavior Minimum Acceptable Diet DefiningDefining Minimum Acceptable Diet
Improving diet
Acceptable is an international for measuring which means that a c Minimum Minimum Acceptable Diet is an Diet international standard standard for measuring nutrition nutrition which means that a child 29.00% 29.00% meets the standards for both Minimum Dietary Diversity (defined above) and Minimum Meal Freque meets the standards for both Minimum Dietary Diversity (defined In Rwanda, the prevailing type of malnutrition is chronic malnutrition which is caused by above) and Minimum Meal Frequency. To standards meet the standards Minimum Meal Frequency, 6-8 month old breastfed infants must consume 2 To meet Minimum Meal Frequency, 6-8 month lacking micro-nutrients in your diet. This the is different from acute malnutrition which is old thebreastfed infants must consume 2 47.00% 47.00% meals per day, 9-23 month old breastfed infants must consume 3 meals per 6-23 day, and 6-23 month old meals per day, 9-23 month old breastfed infants must consume 3 meals per day, and month old 95% GOAL: 75% GOAL: 75% 53.00% GOAL: 56%GOAL: 56% 53.00% result of not havingGOAL: enough food to eat. To end chronic malnutrition we educate mothers on non-breastfed children must consume 4 meals per day. non-breastfed children must consume 4 meals per day.
29.00%
what makes a balanced meal and how to cook healthily with limited time and resources. 71.00%
71.00%71.00%
Minimum Meal Frequency for Children Minimum Meal Diversity Frequency for Children Defining Dietary
Minimum Acceptable for Child Minimum Acceptable Diet for Diet Children
Minimum Dietary Diversity is an international standard indicator for measuring nutrition. Adult women Boils and covers water before consumption Child met requirements forMeal Minimum Meal Frequency Child met requirements forAcceptable Minimum Acceptable Diet Child met requirements for Minimum Frequency Child met requirements for Minimum Diet are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if 29.00% they report to have consumed at least 5 of 10 food
29.00% Does NOT boils and cover water before consumption Child didrequirements NOT meet requirements forMeal Minimum Meal Frequency Child did NOT meet for Minimum Frequency
Child didrequirements NOT meet requirements forAcceptable Minimum Acceptable D Child did NOT meet for Minimum Diet
groups in the last 24 hours. Children are considered to meet Minimum Dietary Diversity if they report to
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A
Growing the cure for malnutrition
fter a routine screening at her local health clinic, Eliminatha learned that her daughter was malnourished. “I was surprised and sad that my daughter was malnourished, but I was also eager to learn how to help her.” Determined to acquire the necessary tools to better the health of her family, Eliminatha joined other mothers from her village to attend GHI’s agriculture and health trainings. There, she learned hands-on, sustainable agriculture methods that would enable her to build her own home garden. “When I joined GHI, I learned the double-dug bed-building method, how to grow nutritious food, and how to diversify the crops that I grow.” These agriculture techniques are not only good for the earth, but are also beneficial for the health of Eliminatha’s family, allowing her to feed her family nutritious vegetables she grew herself. Combined with the health topics she learned, such as proper handwashing, Eliminatha is equipped with the knowledge to care holistically for her children’s health and wellbeing. Today, Eliminatha’s children are growing strong and healthy. “All our meals have four nutritious colors: green, white, brown, and orange, and when my children see all the vibrant colors, they are eager to eat!” Eliminatha walks around her home garden with a radiant smile, pointing out each vegetable and fruit tree: “amaranth, collard greens, tree tomatoes, onions.” Her list goes on. To Eliminatha, her home garden has become a source of joy, health, and a way to give back to her community. “I teach the skills that I learned to my neighbors and give them seeds to start their own healthy home gardens!” Eliminatha has committed to carrying on GHI’s work to neighboring families in her community so they can grow the cure to malnutrition in their gardens as well.
W
Every child deserves to be healthy
hen it came to providing for her young daughter, Quevinne, Marie Jeanne thought she did it all. The 37-year-old single mother made sure to cook big meals of beans and potatoes and keep a careful, loving watch over her only child. When she learned that Quevinne was malnourished, Marie Jeanne was bewildered. “A healthcare worker saw that my child was weak and sick,” recounts Marie Jeanne. Like many rural Rwandan mothers, she did not realize that a diet of solely beans and potatoes, while filling, does not provide the essential nutrients for a child’s development. Over the next 14 weeks at GHI trainings, Marie Jeanne learned how to cultivate nutritious vegetables in a home garden, prepare balanced meals with GHI’s One Pot, One Hour method, and prevent illness through hand washing and good hygiene practices. “Through the trainings, I finally understood why my child was affected and how that can also affect me,” she explains. “We learned all these things from GHI, and now, for example, I know that I must cook meals using four colors of food to prevent malnutrition in my family.” Behind her small house high on a hill, Marie Jeanne now plays with Quevinne in her home garden, where she grows nutritious vegetables like squash, carrots, and amaranth. “My child does not get sick often anymore,” she says as Quevinne runs around the garden bed. “She’s my only child, and she deserves to be healthy.” Since graduating, Marie Jeanne started passing her new skills to others. “I explain that cooking a balanced meal doesn’t take much effort,” she remarks. “I joined the program while my child was malnourished, but now she’s healthy.”
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Regina Edmonds and Albert Navitski
Terri and Bruce Alpert
Robert and Sally Quinn
Thomas Shapiro
The Ruettgers Family
Robert Insolia
Tom and Sprague Huntington
Roberta Guthrie
Virginia Loeb
Robertson Family
Walter Reeves
Ronald and Anna Thomann
Winnie Bell
Sandra Naddaff
22
Scott Lewis
Sandy and Jo Carney
Woskie and Rosenkrantz Family Zoe and Megan Billman
FINANCES 27%
29%
$786,381
Income $231,336 from individuals $209,591 from foundations (restricted) $345,454 from foundations (unrestricted)
44%
7% 10%
Expenses $677,279 to programs
$819,146
$82,461 to development $59,406 to admin
83%
