CFSRP

Liseli Simenda, aged 45 from the sandy plains of Western Zambia was trained in Gardening God’s way while fighting COVID 19 under the COVID 19 Food Security Recovery Project. Liseli who is passionate about gardening said the training she received provided her with an understanding of how she can get better yields despite the challenge of living in sandy water logged plains.

“This type of gardening is very manageable and practical, I do not have to complain about the soil being poor or sandy because I can always collect soils from better areas and use it in my garden. Even with little rains, I can manage as I can utilize the water I use to wash my dishes to grow even just enough for my family as long as it has no soap or chemicals”, she said.

Western Province generally proves to be a challenge for many when it comes to growing vegetables because of the soil being so sandy, it easily gets flooded in rain season as well but this does not stop Liseli from maintaining her Kitchen Garden.

“With the Knowledge I gained when ADRA trained us, I now know that I can surround my garden with logs of wood or grass to avoid flooding as well as prevent animals from grazing on my plants. I also love the fact that the training encouraged us to evangelize to others, telling our neighbors and friends the importance of growing food with our hands while practicing the love of God through sharing what we grow. I have three friends so far that I am teaching and together we plan to expand our garden and teach many other women in our community”, she said.

Twenty women and youths and were trained in Climate Smart Vegetable Production, Disaster Risk Reduction and COVID 19 prevention and it is hoped that these will cascade to many others in their communities.