The garden at Mayega started life as a sandy strip of worked-out soil. Years of repeated cultivation, without the addition of organic matter. The addition of black soil and manure has improved the situation somewhat, improving fertility.

But what is also beginning to make a difference is some shade from the scorching sun. The fence has a covering of vines, notably passion fruit, and the paw paw trees are very productive. Currently, there are chinese cabbage, bamia (okra) and white tomato growing in the vegetable beds.

White tomato is interesting. It seems it is a small egg plant (aubergine) originating from Ethiopia. The variety grown in Tanzania has a bitter taste, and is a popular ingredient in vegetable stews. It grows easily, and can be found in any market.

Of course, the garden would not be anything without the hard work of children and staff. With twenty-four children to feed, we can’t really be self-sufficient but growing vegetables is a life skill and adds variety to the diet.