Food Security & Livelihoods

Mariama, 13, lives in the Western Region, in a community that is part of the ChildFund sponsorship program. She lives with her 8 siblings and other extended family. His father, a former messenger, is retired and struggles hard to provide the family’s basic needs such as food, clothing and education for his children.

One of the greatest challenges facing Mariama’s family was food and the means to send her and her siblings to school.

Learning about the sizable land that the family possesses at their backyard, ChildFund decided to support the family through one of his children under the sponsorship program by establishing a garden at their backyard and providing them with a borehole that guarantees continuous water supply. Mariama is a 6th grade student at the local primary school.

“Here, we grow different types of crops such as tomatoes, lettuce, green pepper, onions and bitter tomatoes. The family eats some and sells the excess produce for income. My daily school expenses such as transport, school lunch etc is paid for by the income from this garden. I am Mariama and I am very happy. My sponsor is called Mr. Hubbert from America, and I am extending our family greetings to him and his family. When I grow up and continue my education to university level, I want to become a doctor.”

Mariama’s mother, Jainaba says her family’s life has now transformed with this garden and new water system.

For years, Mariama’s family faced severe food insecurity. Despite owning a sizable piece of land in their backyard, they lacked the resources and access to water to make their land productive. Gardening, which could have helped sustain the family, was limited to small-scale efforts that barely produced enough food.

“Before, we used to garden at a very small scale because there was no water available,” explains Jainaba. “My children would travel long distances in the early hours to fetch water for the garden, and we did the same in the evening. Mariama would even be late to school because she always wanted to help me water the plants.”

In addition to the water scarcity, the family struggled to afford fertilizers, which led to poor harvests. Jainaba continues, “We couldn’t afford the cost of fertilizer, and the harvest was never enough. Without this, our daily needs like food, water and school expenses were very hard to meet. My husband is retired, and I depended on the garden, which barely produced enough to feed us.”

But everything changed when ChildFund intervened. Recognizing the potential of the family’s land, ChildFund provided the resources to establish a larger garden, complete with a new water borehole to guarantee a continuous water supply. This simple yet powerful intervention changed their lives.

“Since ChildFund’s intervention with the water borehole, we can now grow a large number of crops and have expanded the garden. We now enjoy a continuous harvest throughout the year, which gives us both food and income for the family,” Jainaba proudly shares.

Mariama, who is in the 6th grade at the local primary school, is grateful for the new opportunities. “The money from the garden helps pay for my school expenses, things like transport and lunch. I’m very happy, and I want to thank my sponsor, Mr. Hubbert, for making this possible. When I grow up, I want to become a doctor.”

Over 100 families in the community, including Mariama’s extended family, now benefit from the borehole, accessing clean drinking water that was once a scarce resource. The borehole has not only improved Mariama’s family’s agricultural productivity but also serves as a vital water source for neighbors, significantly enhancing the overall well-being of the entire community.

Jainaba reflects on the change: “We are now a happy family. With the income from the garden, we can send our children to school, buy food, and meet other basic needs. Life has become so much better.”