The Slovak path to food self-sufficiency in Africa

How to tackle the refugee crisis? The best way is to help people create conditions in their homeland so that they do not have to flee... This is the philosophy of ADRA Slovakia. No SCI-FI, but a real program that we are now starting in Uganda and Rwanda.

Uganda is a country that has received 1 400 000 refugees on its territory (2020 statistics, third in the world). How do they do it? For people who have fled to the country from Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan or Burundi..., because of political unrest, violence, war, drought and hunger, they have an unconventional solution. Instead of placing them in refugee camps, they have been given land in certain areas. On a 30x30m plot of land, a family can build a dwelling and grow vegetables and fruit for their own subsistence. Every metre must be used. Pumpkins also grow on the roof... Those who have become food self-sufficient live happily and have no need to run anywhere. But those who can't make a living flee to the city in search of quick riches. Reality? Slums on the outskirts of cities, where men make a living in the drug trade and women are dependent on prostitution. And then someone comes along with an offer of a trip to the promised land - in the EU... The rest of the story is already familiar to you.

ADRA Slovakia in cooperation with ADRA Uganda and ADRA Rwanda is launching a project for the development of farming and gardening. Our long-term humanitarian mission is located in the Kyaka 2 area of Uganda, where more than 120,000 migrants live. We will build a farm to grow vegetable seedlings and fruit trees. We will help the local newcomers to be able to support themselves.

A Congolese refugee convinced us on the spot that this makes sense. In his small garden he produces seedlings of vegetables and fruit trees and supplies them to his neighbours in the neighbourhood. We found it amusing when he explained to our director, Stan (who has a degree in horticulture), how to grow cabbages. These are the kind of people we need to involve in the project. Today he is still just a gardener, but one day he will surely be a farmer who will teach others how to do it in local conditions...

Uganda has the conditions in place, ADRA Slovakia knows how to do it, Slovak AID has approved financial support for our project, ADRA Uganda has prepared the site and the local team. So let's do it, let the good work succeed. In the summer we start...