Home grown

by Tamsin Maunder,
WaterAid's Publications Officer

Ikognane is 50 years old and comes from Mohairiry Kitchen Garden village in Madagascar. She is the vice president of a group of kitchen gardeners and has two children. 'Before the well we had no kitchen garden,' she says, 'there wasn't anything you could eat on this bit of land as there just wasn't enough rain to make things grow.

We still don't have the rain, but now at least we can water the plants ourselves.' In communities without access to safe water people like Ikognane use the little water they can find to drink, cook and wash with. There is rarely any left to wash clothes or to grow vegetables.

Access to a safe water supply close to people's homes has far reaching benefits, one of which is being able to grow vegetables in kitchen gardens using the wastewater from the water supply. Not only does this provide people with a healthier, more varied diet it can also provide them with an opportunity to make money.

As Ikognane explained, 'The great thing is that now we have a garden we are able to eat a much greater variety of vegetables than before rather than just manioc. It is much healthier than before, we know our families will be healthier. We also sell some of our vegetables and so make some money in that way.'

Kitchen gardens are seen in many of the countries that WaterAid works in. For example in Kullampatti village, south India, WaterAid has helped the community to dig a well and fit a handpump.

Mrs Sirumbayer and Mrs Nagarathnam who live in the village and are both trained handpump caretakers told us about the well. 'Before, our water kept drying up. We would go to the local landowner and ask for water from his well. He often refused.

We were at his mercy.' Now they speak proudly of the difference that handpump has made, 'I didn't think water would change my life, but after our training we realised what was possible. Now we have water in the village we can spend more time working and looking after our families.

We use wastewater to grow vegetables and look after animals that we then sell at market to raise money. There is less sickness. Everything looks healthy here now.'