Gardens for Health International (GHI) is an American-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to provide sustainable agricultural solutions to chronic childhood malnutrition.
GHI partners with rural health centers in Rwanda to equip families with the seeds, skills, and support necessary to shift the paradigm of food aid from dependency to prevention and self-sufficiency.
GHI was founded in 2007 by then college students Emma Clippinger, Emily Morell Balkin, and Julie Carney, with the goal of providing lasting agricultural solutions to pressing public health problems in Rwanda.
To tackle the root causes of malnutrition, we directly work with families by providing them with seeds, skills, and knowledge to create vegetable gardens, prepare balanced meals, and keep children healthy.
GHI partners with malnourished families to enable them to plant home gardens full of diverse vegetables so they have a lasting source of nutritious food.
They provide seeds and engaging trainings focusing on skills such as composting, creating organic pesticides, and other techniques to maximize crop yields using resources readily available to families in rural Rwanda.
GHI's innovative 'One Pot One Hour' lesson demonstrates how to cook a healthy meal with limited time and resources so that every mother can provide her children with the nutrients they need to thrive.
This revolutionary curriculum on agriculture, nutrition, and health topics was designed in partnership with local Rwandese mothers, and the trainings are led by talented educators who come directly from the communities they serve.
GHI also works closely with the government of Rwanda, which has recognized the organization as a crucial actor in the national agenda to eliminate malnutrition.
[5] The organization also works with the European Union and UNICEF [6] to advocate for policies and programs that promote sustainable, nutrition-based agricultural practices as well as the integration of holistic, peer-based education into the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.