Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.
In Canada, warmer weather is slowly but surely arriving across our provinces. Many of us are getting our gardens, pots and yards ready for planting all sorts of fruits, flowers, and veggies. Watching things grow is one of the most enriching and exciting parts of spring!
At our sponsor sites, gardening is an integral part of life for so many of our families and communities. Growing food is a cost-effective way for families to access a balanced diet, and extra produce can be sold for an income! This week, we’re sharing our top 5 “gardening” photos to get you into the spring spirit, and share some of the amazing gardening initiatives from our sites around the world.
#5: Overcome and prosper
Many areas around our Mikinduri site in Kenya have been affected by droughts over the past few years, leading to a food shortage. Local children were hungry and malnourished, and their health suffered, as did school attendance rates.
With the support of many loving donors, Miurine Elementary School was able to start a school feeding program with a small garden! The excited students took it upon themselves to plant lots of vegetables and fruit trees. Fresh fruit makes a great snack, and the vegetables are added to school meals to make the food more nutritious!
#4: A gardening group effort
At the Neema Visitation Orphanage in Tanzania, children without families receive care, shelter, food, and education. The orphanage also has a small garden that helps feed the children. Children are always eager to help out with chores in the garden and around the orphanage. This kind of collaboration makes life easier for the Sisters and the children who live there!
#3: Grandmother’s gorgeous garden
Elder sponsorship is an incredibly important part of the work we do around the world. Lucia has been sponsored for twelve years through our Don Bosco site in Paraguay. She is a mother of five, grandmother of 12 and great-grandmother of five!
One of Lucia’s greatest passions is gardening. She grows pineapple, cassava, grapes, bananas, and all sorts of beautiful flowers! She’s very thankful for her sponsor’s support and our site’s encouragement. We’re so happy that Lucia is able to thrive and keep up with her beautiful gift of gardening.
#2: Lourdes’ landscaping business
Lourdes is mother to eight-year-old David, who’s sponsored through our Guadalupe site in Bolivia. For many years, Lourdes’ grandmother owned a coveted shopfront where she ran an gardening supply shop. She and her mother now run the shop and sell all sorts of gardening supplies, logs, and charcoal for barbecues!
Though their customers are mostly home gardeners, Lourdes also does landscaping work. Her children also love to help out with gardening at home, so you could say that green thumbs run in the family!
#1: Family who grows together
In Ukraine, especially in rural communities, it can be difficult to access fresh food in stores. Many families keep gardens where they grow their own fruits and vegetables. They often preserve crops for the winter by canning and pickling them.
This family from our Ternopil site is enjoying a bountiful spring harvest! Children are often involved in gardening activities, and are happy to help alongside their parents.
Follow Chalice on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates from our sponsor sites, impact stories, and more! Be sure to check back next week for another Photo Friday.