The Green Garden was inspired by the work of Christian Aid’s partner organisations around the world. Here’s a little taster of some of the projects that helped us come up with the ideas.
In Honduras, our partner organisation Coprodedpiy is working with the Yamarangüila community to replant forests, build eco-friendly homes that are able to better withstand inclement weather conditions, and educate other communities through radio broadcasts.
In the Philippines, Social Action Centre-Infanta is replanting forests, which provides jobs for local communities and helps to prevent devastating mudslides – a consequence of the frequent typhoons.
Deccan Development Society is a pioneering women’s group in India, which is preserving local plant species and turning wasteland into farmland.
In Brazil, just three per cent of the population owns two-thirds of the land. Christian Aid supports the landless movement MST, which helps members of some of the poorest communities identify unused land and occupy it. When the land is officially granted to them, they can establish homes, schools and farms.
In Kenya, Northern Aid builds water wells and lobbies for the rights of nomadic herders and their families. These pastoralist communities are struggling to continue their traditional way of life as frequent and prolonged droughts assault the area.
The Mali Folke Centre is installing solar panels to run fridges and lights in health clinics.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church works with poor farmers, providing training in conservation-gardening techniques, such as composting and companion planting, to help them increase their harvests and survive during droughts and floods.
In the Philippines, Phil Net is teaching farmers irrigation techniques and organic-farming methods.
In Kenya, BIDII has been working with families to teach them more-efficient farming techniques, including rainwater-collection methods and building multi-storey gardens.