Khadhra, the mother of a 14-member household in Rabiah village, Al-Qahtaniyeh Sub-District, and Nujood, an 85-year-old head of household living with her 40 children and grandchildren in Gire Mergey village, Al-Qahtaniyeh Sub-District, both support their families and have become self-sustaining with the help of Blumont’s Homestead Vegetable Gardens (HVG) project.
Khadhra helps her invalid and elderly husband earn their living through the vegetables she grows, selling some of them to fulfill her family members’ needs and using the rest as food. She said she has been so successful thanks to Blumont’s HVG project, among others, under the USAID/FFP-funded Syria Emergency Food Security Program (SEFSP).
Khadhra and her family receiving Blumont support
Khadhra’s garden before Blumont’s intervention
“We benefited greatly from the Homestead Vegetable Gardens, Rain Water Collection (RWC), and Drip Irrigation System (DIS) supported and agricultural training provided by Blumont,” Khadhra said. “The project gave us the tools, seeds and expertise offered by the overseeing agricultural engineers. The RWC and DIS were useful for irrigating the crops.”
Khadhra’s summer vegetable nursery
Blumont assisted them in learning modern agricultural methods, including land cultivation, sowing seeds, taking care of seedlings and making organic fertilizers at home.
Nujood and her family also worked with Blumont’s HVG project to cultivate their own vegetables. After learning to use modern agricultural methods like making organic fertilizers, planting seedlings and DIS, Nujood’s family achieved a self-sustaining livelihood by using the vegetables for home consumption and selling the surplus.
Agricultural training for Nujood’s family
Members of Nujood’s family harvesting winter crops
“We benefited from the Homestead Vegetable Gardens supported by Blumont,” Nujood’s daughter-in-law said. “They also offered us agricultural counselling, expertise, Drip Irrigation System, Rain Water Collection items, tools and seeds.”
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HVP is part of SEFSP which is funded through USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP). The program delivers food aid to vulnerable populations and IDPs in northern and southern Syria.
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