Our First Garden of Hope

As early as 2019, NVC was helping small farming communities work towards food security. We called these farmers our Farmers of Hope. We provided them with new farm tools, seeds and simple training. This helped them improve their internal food supply. Much of their food was grown right in the community and they became more self-sufficient.

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, many people in the city lost their jobs and had no way to feed their families. We decided to replicate the Famers of Hope project on a smaller scale in the urban setting. And thus, the Gardens of Hope Project was born. Click here to read more about this.

With the permission of lot owners, our Gardeners of Hope grow vegetables in empty lots. As with our Farmers of Hope, we provide seeds, tools and basic training. The gardeners can grow most of their own food. And they can earn an income by selling the excess produce. We currently have two Gardens of Hope communities.

A Harvest of Hope

The rainy season had put a damper on the plans of the would-be harvesters. But the weather cleared up on August 17th so our Gardens of Hope community in Talisay, Negros Occidental was able to harvest some of their crops. They went house to house around the neighborhood to sell some of their harvest. How happy we are to see them reap the fruits (and vegetables) of their labors!

The Gardens of Hope Project is a Livelihood project that took root as part of Phase 2 of our response to the Covid-19 crisis. We sought ways to provide food security to families affected by the situation. The Gardens of Hope Community till the soil to grow food for themselves. In addition to that, they can earn money by selling the excess produce.

Typhoon Odette Aftermath

Typhoon Odette which struck the country at the end of 2021 was not very kind to our Talisay Gardeners of Hope. The storm destroyed an upcoming crop and damaged the mushroom shed. But our gardeners remain hopeful that the future will be bright.