HOW YOU CAN BE PART OF
CREATING FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA

As Africans, we know that, through the ravages of colonialism, conflict, natural disasters and climate change people have lost land, livestock, assets and access to water and have been removed from their own farming practices. Many skills have been lost, with devastating results.

Our goal is to work with communities to create the solutions to this. It’s imperative that we respond to immediate needs first, like addressing hunger. A stable community is then able to work with the resources shared with them so that a project can continue as their own, creating livelihoods that provide for their families.

We are currently doing this in various ways through Food Security and Livelihood interventions like general food distribution to those who need it most; supplementary feeding to increase the quantity and quality of people’s diets using the vegetables grown in our projects; creating community gardens and farms for communities to live off and profit from; livelihood training to educate community members on enhancing and multiplying what they have; provision of cash and food in exchange for the building of  assets that will benefit the communities, such as roads or stores; and assisting small-scale farmers to access markets where they can sell their produce and make a living!

Here is where YOU come in… $65 is what is needed for a family to grow a vegetable garden. Whether you can contribute a few dollars toward one, or contribute enough to grow a multiple, it starts with YOU believing in the significance of your gift! CLICK HERE TO DONATE A VEGETABLE GARDEN TO A FAMILY IN AFRICA.

CURRENT FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS PROJECTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

In 2020, JAM was able to assist a total 710,893 people in these ways. In northwestern Uganda, JAM has been involved in the Imvepi Refugee Camp which caters for refugees from South Sudan. Our kitchen gardens provide nutrition to refugees but are also used to teach them how to cultivate and grow their own vegetables once they have moved out of the camp and onto farming land, provided by the Ugandan government.

The JAM Rwanda Vocational Training Center trains vulnerable young people in diversified trades such as hairdressing, tailoring, culinary arts, masonry, motor vehicle mechanics as well as languages, entrepreneurship and computer literacy. Agricultural skills and kitchen gardening are also taught at the center’s model farm.

In Mozambique, JAM’s Farm in Vilankulo District, is used to train small scale farmers, parent teacher associations and University agricultural student internships.  The vegetables grown in our community farming are used to supplement the food we provide in our feeding program. The large greenhouse serves as a demonstration plot for teachers, small-scale farmers and agricultural workers and is also used to trial on different seed varieties.

In South Africa, gardens are being planted at Early Childhood Development Center’s (ECD) and partnerships with suppliers of Reel Gardening packages and grow pod bags are being used to great effect. By focusing on food gardens, struggling centers are able to grow a variety of vegetables ensuring a diversified diet for children. An added bonus is that children are learning from a young age how to plant their own food.

Community food garden initiatives have the potential to alleviate hunger, eradicate food insecurity and generate income, the community concept creates social ties and builds the feeling of connectedness and belonging.  Ultimately, the provision of community gardens and household gardens offers the community an opportunity to better their livelihoods.

We are African people, providing African solutions to uniquely African problems.
We believe in creating an Africa that Thrives!