Gorret’s Story

Gorret is a disability justice activist from Jinja, Uganda, and one of the farmers involved in the 100% Homegrown Initiative. She is also a leader of an organisation of persons with disabilities called Shared Sites Foundation.

Gorret is passionate about advocating for disability justice and is one of the activists leading the Fairer Funding Campaign, which calls for more and better funding for organisations of persons with disabilities.

The 100% Homegrown Initiative was made possible thanks to our generous supporters and the UK government, through the UK Aid Match.

Motivation to start kitchen gardening.

“I was motivated to start kitchen gardening because I wanted to gain knowledge and skills in farming. My parents are farmers, and through their work they have been able to earn an income, educate us, and provide for our basic needs.”

“Seeing how farming helped them support our family inspired me to start kitchen gardening so that I could also support myself.”

Supporting other young people with disabilities.

“Alongside my own farming initiative, I also lead an organisation of young people with disabilities. After receiving training in kitchen gardening through the 100% Homegrown project, I shared the knowledge and skills with other young people with disabilities in the organisation.

“Together, we decided to start farming as a group. We first planted vegetables and later sold the harvest. With the income we earned, we bought animals that we now rear together as a group.”

“We are also connected with the Busoga Kingdom, and every weekend we meet at the Busoga Farm as youth with disabilities to learn more skills and knowledge in agriculture.”

Impact from the kitchen gardening Initiative.

“With the income I earn from my personal kitchen gardening Initiative, I support my siblings with their school requirements, while my parents take care of the school fees. I have also bought a pig which I’m rearing at home. I hope to expand by purchasing more animals.”

“Before the kitchen gardening training, I was very afraid of farming. The training changed my perspective. Now I can earn an income to support myself and my family. I used to live with my parents, but after I started earning from gardening, I was able to move out, rent my own place, and live more independently.”

“Many people in my community now come to me for knowledge and advice about kitchen gardening. They ask how it works and what crops or vegetables they can grow. I am always happy to share what I have learned with them.”

“I have a psychosocial disability, and in the past people in the community used to mock me because of it. They saw me as someone who depended entirely on my parents and could not afford anything for myself. But after I started kitchen gardening and began earning some income, their attitude changed. They are surprised to see me buy my own medicine from the pharmacy, and they now respect me more.”

Gorret, Disability Justice Activist, Uganda

“Before I started my kitchen gardening project, it was very difficult for us to access fresh vegetables. The little my father grew was mainly for sale, and he was very strict about us not harvesting it for home use because the money was needed to pay my siblings’ school fees.”

“After the kitchen gardening training, I began growing my own vegetables, and this changed everything. I now have easy access to fresh vegetables for food, and I also sell some at the market and supply a nearby school. In a week, I can earn about 20,000 shillings from my kitchen garden.”

**Gorret holding vegetables harvested from her garden**

“It is important for people with disabilities to lead their own projects because this gives us a chance to learn and influence fellow people with disabilities for the better.”