Gardening

For those afflicted with leprosy, the added benefits of a stronger immune system and better functionality of medicines are very important.  Over several years, Embrace a Village introduced gardening and nutritional training in most of the villages, sponsored by Monsanto Company.

Due to increasing costs to provide adequate nutrition through our Rice Food Pantry, we instituted a gardening program which has had an important, multifaceted impact on the villages.  While the food grown in the gardens provides much-needed vitamins and for other dietary requirements, the gardens also bring community to the villages and their families.  Studies clearly document that both women and children living in families with “homestead gardens” were less likely to have night-blindness and have diarrhea.  Vitamin A, commonly found to be deficient in the victims and their families, was also shown to be higher in these households.  Even mild vitamin A deficiency is linked to greater child and maternal morbidity and mortality.

Embrace a Village continues to emphasize nutritional, educational, and small scale gardening, especially within the children’s programs.