Health management

Managing health in a sustainable and accessible way is an essential part of GardenAfrica's work. We provide information and training with local community members on how to grow and cook a balanced diet so that people can learn how to manage illness and sustain health.

Gardens are created at hospitals and clinics, providing nutrition to boost natural immunity against secondary infections, and to improve the absorption of, and adherence to, life saving anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment programmes. ARVs control HIV, but do not directly affect the immune system. Good nutrition is needed alongside ARVs to facilitate immune reconstitution. Vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables are vital for a strong immune system. Garden planning and training therefore seeks to address specific nutritional needs.

More than 29 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa today - 70% of the global total. It is well understood that HIV/AIDS travels along the fault lines of poverty and discrimination. Poverty makes people more vulnerable to HIV infection, and HIV/AIDS makes poor people poorer. The reality of HIV/AIDS is devastating not only to the family and community: it is disastrous for the entire continent, with skills now being lost on a massive scale.

Whilst the life expectancy of someone living with HIV, in Europe is 15 years, in Africa it is less than five years; it is accepted that the reasons for this deficit can be largely attributed to poor nutrition (UNAIDS), which impacts directly upon the immune system. Poor nutrition shortens the lives of infected people by accelerating the viral progression from HIV to AIDS. Conversely, increased nutritional intake bolsters the immune system, slowing the decline associated with HIV/AIDS by increasing the body's ability to fight opportunistic infections and other diseases.

Addressing the nutritional shortfalls of those with HIV/AIDS is a primary focus of GardenAfrica's work, providing patients and health professionals with information and training in food cultivation and preparation as central to promoting effective and accessible health strategies for those with HIV/AIDS. Improving nutrition in vulnerable communities will help those affected to continue to support their families, improving the quality of life of those living with and around the virus.

There is an increasing awareness that traditional medicine can play an important role in tackling the debilitating secondary infections associated with HIV. Although much of allopathic medicine is based on the synthetic reproduction of plant properties, too often we tend to ignore the contribution that can be made by traditionally-used plants. With practical advice on herbal treatments and their preparations, those living with HIV can once again become active members of their family and community. Encouraging a more integrated approach to health of these two often disparate strands of medicine can be combined to develop a more comprehensive and appropriate strategy for disease mitigation.

Effective medicines, which are available to all, can be grown locally. However in many areas medicinal plants have all but disappeared due to over-use, with disastrous social and environmental results. An important aspect of our work is providing training in sustainable management of scarce resources, so that valuable medicinal resources can be made more widely available to those living with HIV/AIDS. As an important contribution to research currently being undertaken in this area, GardenAfrica is working with Royal Botanic Garden Kew, and local partners to develop the Africulture Centre Project.

View the following GardenAfrica Projects
Soweto Clinics Project
Maluti Hospital Training Gardens