Kikondo, UG – MJP family uses their Food Always In The Home (FAITH) garden for nutrition and VICOBA savings – Nov 2023

Wamukisa has encouraged MJP mother and father and their twin boys who help pick, with PATH steps that lead to sustainable living, and with a PLAN of maintaining and operating a FAITH garden at their home. At the start of their growing they tried many different vegetables, but they learned some crops require more water than is available for low cost. In recent seasons they have rotated three beds of bitterberries or kale with beans which grow well during dry days at the end of a season.

The family now operates a productive FAITH garden instead of buying vegetables in the village marketplace. With the money not spent for that food, they have managed to save money in Zinabala VICOBA for the last 3 years. On average the family was spending 10,000/= every week on vegetables but now this money has been saved with the VICOBA. They managed to save 600,000/= (about $171) last year. They used the money to connect electricity in their house which they use for light to read at night.

They hope to open a local poultry project at their house from savings they will withdraw from the VICOBA at the end of this year. Raising chickens needs less space and time than gardening and provides manure fertilizer.

The family dreams of expanding their FAITH garden with more beds for business since many famillies renting houses in Kikondo don’t have space to grow vegetables. They resort to buying their vegetables from MJP family.