My World in a Garden - Sister Walls

For many it is NOT a choice, they are born into their circumstances

As we work with partners and in communities, we often get asked why people in the communities we serve can't just get a job or do something useful with their time. For many of us we realte to problems and issues others and the media raise in the context of our own life experience and circumstance. The problems that are raised about developing countries and their urban and rural communities, seem so simple depending on your own experieinces and yet in reality they are actually quite complex. These problems and circumstances, such as poverty, didn't suddenly happen, they have existed for decades and in some cases for generations or centuries, and so people are born into these circumstances and finding a way out is impossible for most.

Walk a mile in my shoes...

When we ask people in these communities what's the first thing we can do to help, they typically answer, that they'd like to be accepted for who they are and where they are. When we ask what else we can do, their responses are generally, don't try to help me by doing it for me, teach me how to help myself.

Equipped with this knowledge and understanding, we run all of our My World In a Garden projects in a manner where we bring resources and skilled professionals in to communities focusing on the transfer of skills so that the people in these communities can then assist others and help themselves out of their circumstance. They don't choose to be in the situations and circumstances they find themselves in, they are quite literally born into it.  

When asked why we do it we consider our options. We have the option to choose to help and transfer skills or ignore it completely and address only immediate needs. We willingly and consciously choose to help, for the long term. My Arms Wide Open and the My World In a Garden cause are 100% volunteer based and although each of us makes our own choice, we all make the same choice.

When governments do not have the much-needed resources to help their own people as much as they'd like to or in fact need to, then outside help is needed. This is not simply a case of lack of water, it includes generations of sub-standard education, substance and physical abuse, dire poverty, food insecurity, lack of simple resources, like menstrual pads, to help keep girls in school (see our www.GirlStuffPeriod.com project) and health challenges that result from the lack of basic needs and basic human rights. In general these issues are lumped on the backs of women as the men move away to try and earn income and then land up not returning in many cases.

We see this same scenario in many countries around the world, including developed nations where governments do have the resources to make change. However, if the general population isn't willing to engage and pressure their governments to engage, those issues go unresolved as well. We can understand that it is hard to relate to, unless you actually experience it, and we truly would not wish that on any person, which is why we choose as volunteers to go and live in these communities that invite us in to help, so that we can better understand the issues they truly have and work with them to create solutions for themselves.

Transferring Skills

By understanding the contect and culture of the people where they are, and as we go into different communities we must account for the differences and adapt to what and how we support the people in those communities and what they grow in the food walls. When we teach this, not simply do it, the community s able to then share the technology with other communities and set those communities up for success.

Duplicating the Process

So why are we telling you this? It is critical for us to have the resources available to continually update our curriculums and programs so that we can achieve our ultimate goal where the program takes on a life of its own and the vegetable food walls start to pop up in communities everywhere. To do this we need to keep building and spreading the word for now and that's where we need your help.

Your contributions make all the difference

There are many ways that you can support our effort to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the girls, women and children that we serve.

Please donate!

• How about making a new donation today?
• Or perhaps you’d like to set up a monthly or quarterly recurring donation…it’s simple, convenient and easy to do!

With Gratitude

Whatever you decide, please do it today!  The girls, women and children we serve extend a warm smile and heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your support. We are all grateful for your support.