Mission Statement

Ageno Puodho means "Hope Garden" in the Acholi language spoken in Mucwini, Uganda. Ageno Puodho seeks to create a safe environment for young trauma victims in Mucwini to recover, grow and learn valuable life skills. Through the medium of horticultural therapy, the project aims to insill hope, as well as giving the children a sense of responsibility and control over their personal growth. Focuses of the project include interpersonal communication and group cohesiveness. The youth involved in the project will be both male and female and will range in age from 11 to 18 years old.

Ageno Puodho is a division of the organization Horticultural Therapy for Youth. Established in 2002,Horticultural Therapy for Youth is a non-profit organization specializing in therapeutic culture for youth struggling with mental and physical ailments. The organization is committed to helping youth maximize their full potential and contribute to their communities through active engagement. Past projects include:
In 2004-2005, Horticulture for Youth established a community garden with inner-city teams from Hamilton, Ontario.
In 2006, the organization implemented a tree planting project with impoverished families in Camden, New Jersey, in effort to improve the quality of air.

An Introduction to Horticultural Therapy

Horticultural therapy is a branch of recreational therapy. Rather than traditional medical or psychiatric treatment, the patient performs recreational activities to improve their mental and physical health. In the case of horticultural therapy gardening and planting are used as part of the healing process. Since time immemorial, nature has been an integral aspect of to cultural tradition. Scientists have coined the phrase "bophilia", meaning an innate affinity for nature and a sense of satisfaction from being surrounded by living things. As a result of biophilia, patients have been known to heal more effectively when they are surrounded by plants and living things. Being able to take care of a plant and see it grow, being able to see its strength and resilience, makes the patient feel as if they too will be able to heal and grow.

Welcome to Mucwini

The Mucwini Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp is located in the Kitgum region of Northern Uganda. On July 23-24, 2002 the camp was ravaged by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in what is now termed the "Mucwini Massacre". 56 men, women and children were murdered.

Although the camp is no longer under threat, the individuals in Mucwini have suffered an terrible ordeal in addition to the existing trauma of being displaced, impoverished, malnourished and without a proper home. Since Mucwini has high percentages of youth and elderly populations, Horticultural Therapy for Youth has decided to address the trauma sufferd by the youngest members of the camp community. The Ageno Puodho project seeks to aid youth trauma victims in overcoming their psychological ailments through the use of horticultural therapy. Mucwini has relatively fertile soil and adequate rainfall, making the project feasible.

Project Objectives

General:
To provide support to youth in overcoming trauma in IDP camps, fostering transferrable skills applicable to work and home.

Specific:
1) Have youth show a 70% improvement in psychological well-being through Horticultural Therapy
2) Help youth learn agricultural skills that they’ve missed out on from being in IDP camp
3) Create a long lasting mentorship program

Abundant Rewards: The Benefits of Horticultural Therapy

There are many benefits of horticultural therapy as it pertains to this project. Firstly, the project takes a holistic approach. Ageno Puodo demonstrates concern for the patient as whole, rather than just addressing the disease or primary symptoms. Horticultural therapy also opperates within internal and external contexts. The youth trauma victims are exposed to a broader environment which encourages socialization, brings enjoyment, develops specific skill sets (farming) and improves self-esteem. Additionaly, the project relates health to fulfillment and creative lifestyles; the patients learn how to maintain long term satisfaction and a good quality of life. Overall, the youth will learn new life skills and will be aided in overcoming their trauma, so that they will be able to function independently in society.

Why is THIS Project Unique, Effective (and Better)?

Comparable projects that have been previously taken place have had several major issues that the Ageno Puodho project will seek to rectify. Firstly, projects such as the Food For the Hungry have imported lots of foreign ideas and have not managed to engage Ugandans in any leadership role. In addition to importing western values, projects such as these have emphasized religion, whereas this project will be strictly secular. This project will also be targeting an entire vulnerable demographic, youth, rather than focusing on a narrow range of a gender.

Also instead of only focusing on job skills, this project also contains an integral horticultural therapy aspect. This means the Ugandan youth will gain the skills to create a livelihood but also be mentally prepared to be productive members of society by helping them heal from their trauma. Although projects such as NAADS by the Ugandan Government are admirable, they fail to address other issues youth face and consequently would not completely prepare youth for society.

The youth involved in the project have primarily grown up in refugee and IDP camps, so they have failed to learn traditional gardening methods and will not be able to easily adapt to an agricultural lifestyle when they move out of the IDP camps. This project is unique because it addresses the issues of psychological trauma, role in society, food and job skills. Furthermore, instead of importing any western methods into this project, it will be led by Ugandans farmers and the skills being taught will be traditional Ugandan ones. The Canadian team will simply be facilitating the process and ensuring it runs smoothly and effectively.

Duration

The Ageno Puodho project will formally last for two years, however, the members of the community should be able to sustain it on their own past this point. The first 3 months will be dedicated to necessary preparations. The next 6 month phase will take place during the growing season (from March to September). This will be when the actual on-the-ground work will take place. After gradually phasing out the involvement of the Canadian portion of the team, a mentorship program will begin that will run throughout the dry season. Over the next year team members will return periodically to assess and aid with the project.

A Week in the Life of Ageno Puodho

The program will involve bi-weekly meetings run by community members experienced in gardening in which they will teach youth how to manage and cultivate their own garden plot. The second component that will run simultaneously will be once-a-week discussion meetings which will reinforce the psychological therapy aspect of the project.

Reflection Periods: Healing Together

The reflection periods will be similar to traditional psychological treatment, during which the groups will engage in confidential discussions to address and respond to the trauma experienced by the youth. The aim is to foster an atmosphere of security, trust, support and stability. Groups of 20 youth will meet on Fridays with their group leaders for 1.5 hour long sessions. The reflection periods will take place 2 groups at a time from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The relection periods will be moderated by the reflection group leader volunteers, community elders, Chief Oloya and Dr. Peter K. Baguma. The youth will be encouraged to open up to discussion about their plants and to embrace topics regarding their traumatic experiences if it comes up during the discussion. They will also be encouraged to celebrate change as an opportunity for growth. Occasionally, the groups will have a “Bring a Friend” day during which the youth will be invited to bring a family member or friend to accompany them to their garden patches. This will give the youth an opportunity to demonstrate their progress to the individuals who are the most influential in their lives.

Seeds, seeds, seeds...

A wide variety of plant species will be used in the project including maize, sorghum, cassava, sweet potato, bananas and beans. Millet will be grown during the dry season or as a contigency plan in case of a drought. These seeds all mature at different rates, providing a constant food supply. Most of the plants are perennials and others are native to the area, so the seeds will be readily available for the next growing season. Using native plants will also support environmental sustainability and prevent the spread of invasive species.

Horticultural Skills

In refugee camps there is generally a lack of resources. By providing youth with the means and skills to produce their own crops, they will have a greater food supply which will help to combat malnutrition. Malnutrition in childhood can result in serious health complications later in life due to deficiencies of certain nutrients, so it is important to ensure that children are well-fed. These agricultural skills will also allow youth to gain a certain degree of autonomy and self-sufficiency, which will help them provide for their families in a sustainable way. The horticultural project itself will also be sustainable as the youth will learn how to harvest seeds from the crop that they grow, in order to renew the gardens every growing season.

Useful Traditon!

In Acholi region, there is a tradition of having important discussions under a tree. Community events in this specific place actually often happen under a Mango Tree. This is an ideal location for the reflection period meetings. There will also be several ceremonies held under the mango tree during the project. The first ceremony will be to introduce the project and the team to the community and begining building strong relationships. Another ceremony will be held just before the team departs the camp at the end of the growing season. Old leaders will pass on their positions to newly trained youth leaders. Elders and older farmers will become mentors from this point onwards and assist the youth with any challenging circumstances.

Cultural Considerations

Land Allocation:
The process of dividing up the lands plots has many cultural implications. In many village “tenure” systems, a chief or elder allocates the land so that a sense of order is established. As such, Chief Samuel Oloya will hold the deed to the land and elders within the community will allocate it to the children. By giving ownership of the land to the chief, rather than the team holding the deed, gives the community a feeling of empowerment and allows them some degree of control over their own development.

Gender Disparity:
Women often don’t get any property rights. Although they perform 80% of agricultural work, they only own 8% of land. Giving the girls in the project equal land to their male cohorts helps to empower women. Traditionally, females wear skirts however, there is no objection made to women wearing pants. The female members of the team will wear pants for practical purposes for most of the project, but they will wear skirts for special ceremonies or occasions as a display of respect for the Mucwini culture.

Religion:
The project is of a purely secular nature, so the community will not feel as if the team is attempting to impart certain moral or religious idead on them. The majority of the Mucwini community is Christian and rests on the Sabbath day, so no work for the project will be conducted on Sundays.

Meet the Team

Program Directors:
There will be 2 program directors for this project. These individuals will be in charge of creating the program plan and schedule as well as ensuring everything is operating according to schedule. The program directors will also be in charge of assigning responsibilities to the team and hiring staff in Uganda.

Administrative Assistant:
The assistant will be in charge of all administrative responsibilities such as managing the budget, keeping track of supplies and keeping a logbook of the project's progress while the team is at Mucwini. The administrative assistant will work in a small office to be set up at the camp.

Psychologist:
The psychologist of the team is Dr. Peter K. Baguma BSc, MSc, PhD. Dr. Baguma is the director of the University of Makerere’s Psychology Department in Uganda. He will explain the dynamics of horticultural therapy to the camp community and will fuction as the facillitator and moderator of the refelection periods. Having a psychologist as part of the team is necessary to track the psychological improvement of the trauma victims as the project progresses and to be able to handle any psychological breakdowns/crisis amongst the children.

Farmers/Teachers:
These team members will be hired from within the Mucwini IDP camp and will have prior experience with farming and horticultural practices. They will distribute a plot of 1.5m x 1.5m of farm land to each child and will aid in the building of the fencing around the perimeter of the garden. Each farmer will lead a group of 20 youth in cultivating their section of the garden. They will teach the youth techniques of growing different plants and the proper methods of maintaining them.

Reflection Group Leaders:
These 15 individuals will be members of the Mucwini camp community. We will meet with the camp's leader and together select 15 responsible, enthusiastic individuals to lead the reflection periods. The reflection group leaders will need to be patient, empathetic and confidential when interacting with the trauma victims so that the youth will feel safe and cared for within the context of the discussion. This will aid in improving the overall mental state of the youth.

Translator and Cultural Interpreter:The translator and cultural interpreter will be from Kampala and familiar with the traditional practices of Ugandan individuals. The translator will be onsite in order to allow smooth communications between English and Acholi so that the Canadian members of the team will be able to interact with the members of the Mucwini community. The cultural interpreter will also be present to ensure that members of our team are familiar with and respectful of the Mucwini culture and customs.

Security Officers:
There will be 4 security officers for the team’s protection in Uganda. They will ensure disputes be kept at a minimum and will be capable of dealing with any potential threats should they arise.

Chief Samuel Oloya:
Chief Samuel Oloya is the Subcountry chief of Mucwini. The team will be in contact with him prior to arriving in Mucwini. Chief Oloya will be instrumental in fostering mutually beneficial relationships between the team and the community.