Social Cohesion Archives - Page 2 of 4

DIG Batwa Farmers: Katamas and Hope

January 31, 2019

This Batwa family used to beg for dregs, feeding their 5 children the leftover sorghum from a locally produced drink only once per day. When the couple joined the DIG program, they were skeptical of the outcome as many NGO’s had come to their village for projects that were short-term.

Blogs

4 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health by Gardening

June 14, 2018

Guest Author, Maria Cannon, wrote this article about the mental health benefits of gardening. While DIG often focuses on the food security, nutrition, and income benefits of our garden programming there are so many other gains including these listed below.

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6 Months DIG-ing with the Batwa

May 2, 2017

The Batwa have been caught in a cycle of poverty since 1992 after being evicted from the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and becoming conservation refugees. Still to this day, the Batwa have some of the worst health outcomes certainly in Uganda if not in all of Africa.

Blogs

In the Field: Update from the Batwa Project

February 13, 2017

By: Lauren MaseyFor those of you interested in what has been happing on the ground- here are some photos and updates! Group Formation and Constitutions: Groups were formed last month, but communities had another chance to join the roster and finalize the groups. The communities decided to combine some groups for a new total of 8. Communities were prompted to develop group constitutions to improve a healthy, maintained garden demonstration. Groups picked one day that will be their training day

Blogs

A DIG Film

February 13, 2017

Travel with DIG to Western Kenya and see the power a single garden can have to transform the world. Film Credits to Bob Miller with sponsorship from the Simon Cyrene Foundation

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DIG’s Final Harvest in Lwala is Bittersweet

December 13, 2016

by: Noah Derman Aerial Shot of Lwala taken by Cleave Frink (Apple) It has been 5 years since I took my first trip with DIG to Africa. After an amazing visit to Zambia, I traveled with Andy Bryant, Executive Director of the Segal Family Foundation, and Catherine Magill, then acting DIG Program Coordinator, to Western Kenya. Our aim was to explore and vet potential program partnerships. DIG was looking at several opportunities for collaboration within Kenya and Uganda. Lwala Community Alliance

Blogs

Batwa Uganda Project Begins…

December 12, 2016

by: Lauren Masey Seasonal Calendar Activity in Rwaburindi Before arriving, I wanted to ensure I was adequately informed about the Batwa, but also wanted to make sure that I came with an open mind, a blank page with no premature opinions. I managed to use research papers, articles, and mainly YouTube videos to try and grasp what the situation waiting for in me in Uganda would be. After about three weeks of my fact finding mission, meeting with different groups,

Blogs

The Wechaya HIV Support Group

September 8, 2015

It’s an early, cool Wednesday morning; the sun is still low in the sky, but the chorus of cicadas and crickets reminds us of the heat that’s coming. The Wechaya HIV Support Group is meeting in their community garden. Quiet talking and laughing can be heard as women dressed in vibrantly patterned skirts make their way down the narrow cow paths and gather in the shade of a broad mango tree. Organized through DIG’s Mobile Farmer Field School program,

Blogs

Why Home Gardens are Important!

December 2, 2014

DIG first started doing home gardens in 2006 thanks to Koumba! While Koumba was being inspired by DIG’s training, we were being inspired by her. It was she who asked for and received DIG’s first Home Garden. She asked if we could help her with some of the initial seed money to get a garden started in the small space behind her home. Koumba knew she could feed her family from this otherwise discarded space and would use her

Blogs

A True Multi-Disciplinary Approach: Fighting Stigma, Improving Health, and Building Livelihoods in a Sustainable Way

April 15, 2014

By: Maggie Black Joseph and Rugina Abok have an uphill struggle to make ends meet. Both are living with HIV, which in Rongo district, Western Kenya, has a 16-20% prevalence rate, well above the national average of 12%. Of their five children, four are now married and off their hands, but their youngest son, Meshak, 14-years-old is still in primary school. His future is what concerns them most. Being open about HIV is still difficult because of the stigma

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Farewell Tobias!

January 29, 2014

It is with very mixed emotions that DIG says farewell to our Local Facilitator, Tobias Owour. Tobias has been with the DIG since the very beginning of our Lwala Hospital Project. He was our first hire in Lwala and we could not have made a better choice. Tobias came to us with high recommendations from his grandmother who said, “I decided long before he was grown that he had a gift for working with the ground.” Tobias’ passion for

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Buwala Orphanage Progress Report

December 11, 2013

It’s mid-December, and the children at St. Paul and Rose Orphanage in Buwala District near Jinja, Uganda, have just finished their fall term at school. They are looking forward to Christmas as they enjoy their holiday break. This has been a terrific year for everyone at the orphanage where, thanks to the generosity of DIG’s donors, a new pit latrine has been installed to replace the old one. It may not sound glamorous, but it is truly a gift