STORY TITLE: Thriving Against Odds: Grace’s Vertical Garden
Grace Mkandawire, a 42 year-old divorced mother of five, faced numerous challenges after her divorce in 2020. Raising her four boys and I girl single-handedly in Mskambo village, T/A Mwalweni in Rumphi district, she struggled to meet their basic needs, especially when it came to providing nutritious meals. With the market far from her home, she spent MWK1,000.00 on vegetables, putting a strain on her already tight budget.
Everything changed when Grace became a right holder in the Integrated Resilience Program, specifically benefitting from the vertical gardening intervention. Under the program’s Sustainable Livelihoods initiative aimed at increasing diversified sources of income for women, she received training on organic vertical gardening and received start-up inputs like seeds and sacks.
The impact of the vertical garden was immediate. Now located in her backyard, Grace saves both time and money by growing her vegetables at home. The MWK1,000.00 she used to spend on vegetables is now allocated to other necessities, providing her family with more variety in their diet.
Not stopping at personal benefits, Grace saw an opportunity to generate income by selling surplus produce to her community but she has not yet started selling. She aims to reduce the distances people travel to the far market while also supplementing her income. Moreover, Grace’s determination and generosity are inspiring; she has already taught other five rights holders to engage in backyard vertical vegetable production.
With the vertical garden’s success, Grace has diversified her income sources beyond groundnut farming, enabling her to actively save and participate in her VSLA group, Chandulo. Her newfound financial empowerment allows her to support her children’s education and invest in their future.
‘I am now empowered economically with this garden. I can provide for my family’s needs and save money and time. By increasing my savings in Chandulo, my VSLA group, I will be able to support my children with school fees. This garden has and will transformed our lives,’ Grace exclaimed. Through resilience, determination and the support of the Integrated Resilience Program, Grace has become a shining example of how vertical gardening can bring positive change to the lives of vulnerable women, paving the way for a brighter and more self-reliant future.