Peter’s Story

Peter is a resident of Kainogoga Village in Jinja district in Eastern Uganda. He is one of the farmers supported under the 100% Homegrown Initiative to set up kitchen gardens to grow food and earn an independent income.

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.

“The reason why I started the kitchen gardening project is because I did not have any income generating activity before. I used to go to the Jinja district disability union offices where I met the Trainer of Trainees (ToT) of my area, and I was included in the project. We went through a training and I gained knowledge on how to do kitchen gardening.”

Impact from the kitchen gardening Initiative.

“Out of the income from the farm, I have been able to buy two goats and two hens. My first goat reproduced and I sold the goats and used the money to meet my basic needs. When I sell my vegetables, I am able to buy other foods like rice for consumption at home.”

**Peter with one of the goats that he bought.**

“When I harvest vegetables from the farm, I am able to sell the produce and save money. I am in a savings group, and I save up to 6,000 Uganda shillings a week from the produce I sell.”

“This project has given me a lot of visibility because I meet many people within the community when selling my vegetables. I am now the leader of a group of persons with disabilities in my area, and I advocate for persons with disabilities in the community and make sure that they are included in community programs.”

Experience with project activities.

“I was given gardening tools and seedlings to start my kitchen gardening project. We had a training and gained knowledge on how to do it, and I am also able to freely share the knowledge with the members in the community.”

“Persons with disabilities are the ones leading this project themselves. And it is important for us to lead our own initiatives because it helps us come at the forefront and support ourselves rather than sitting back. This boosts our confidence to do things on our own and we gain more knowledge and experience by implementing our own projects.”

Peter, Disability Justice Activist, Uganda

“Through this project I have been able to gain skills on how to grow vegetables. I’m still living with my parents. My hope and plans are to leave the family house and to get my own home and expand my project by rearing more poultry, goats and expand my farm.”