The impact of nutrition gardens on people living with HIV and Aids in Mutare north

Abstract

HIV and AIDS have devastated many lives in various ways including nutrition deficiency but nutrition gardens can provide a rock solid solution to nutrition problems of PLWHA. Identified problems include frequent illness which are nutrition related, failure to send children to school, inability to sustain the general needs of families and failure to contribute to community development meaningfully. Data was collected from nutrition garden participants, city council officials, NGO representatives and health personnel on nutrition garden programmes. Questionnaires, interviews and observations were used to collect the relevant data. The collected data was analysed and interpreted. There is a huge deficit between what the garden participants expect from their participation in garden activities and what they are actually benefitting. The government can complement NGO efforts in sourcing financial support for investments in water harvesting structure, NGOs need to mobilise adequate resources before they embark on nutrition garden programmes, city councils should consider the condition of garden participants before citing the gardens as it regards accessibility and the Ministry of Health can incorporate nutrition garden education as they deal with PLWHA. The city councils can benefit when participants get proper nutrition in that they cut on costs incurred in health services offered to PLWHA. The Ministry of Health can benefit in the reduction of sickness which can save money used to treat opportunistic illness that take advantage of vulnerable and malnourished bodies of PLWHA.