Utete, TZ – SRN FAITH garden is a source of food, income and savings – Aug 2023

SRN’s organic Food Always In The Home (FAITH) garden has become a health and economic aid for the family by contributing daily green vegetables to eat, income from selling surplus vegetables, and savings with the Village Community Banking (VICOBA) group.

SRN is a student in Siasa primary school and a member of Siasa gardening club founded by the school in collaboration with KCM in 2023. SRN accessed the gardening knowledge and skills from KCM’s training and mentorship of the Siasa garden club. He learned the best gardening practices for the sustainability of harvests for the school’s Grow-own-Breakfast program. The experience SRN received from the school gardening club gave him the confidence to start a four bed vegetable garden at home for contributing to his family’s food and income.

SRN has successfully started a daily minimum earning of 1,500 TZS / US$ 0.60 from harvesting 3 Kgs total from the garden for the family and business to pay gardening running costs and school supplies. SRN is happy to see the garden contributing additional income to the family apart from the inherited shop his sister runs, which was left by their parents who have passed away leaving them as young children supporting themselves.

SRN’s brother and sister are contributing to SRN’s education and home life support, except when he will go for further studies and his costs will rise and he will need assistance to accomplish his dreams. SRN believes the successful pathway for any person is to have land, home, water, education, health and income for a better life. He prioritizes education and studying hard for a brighter future. He is planning passing onto secondary school in 2025, because he wants to eventually become a doctor to assist people’s health in the community. He says “The first capital is good healthy people for both their families’ growth and national development”.