Planting Seeds of Hope

Posted November 19, 2009

SARAH KOCH looks child-like as she runs down a dusty Ugandan road pushing a bicycle tire rim. She is followed by an emotional entourage of laughing children. Sarah is 28 years old. And she is certainly wise beyond her years.

Sarah has faith in the empowerment of people. Faith in what good can do. Sarah’s courage, passion, vision, and commitment are remarkable. But it is indeed her faith that has taken Sarah beyond the proverbial road less traveled. It has taken her to real roads less traveled. Remote roads 8,500 miles from home. Roads far from the path she believed she would be traveling just six short years ago.

This is a story of DIG, Development In Gardening. This is a story of people helping other people. It is a story of empowerment, a story of triumph, a story of hope. More importantly, this is a story of a woman listening to her inner voice and refusing to turn a deaf ear. A story of leaping. A story of soaring.

In 2004, Sarah graduated with a degree in Art History and Studio Arts. “I really started asking myself the question of what am I going to do now?” Sarah remembers. “I truly had a passion to serve, but where do I go from here?  I told myself I wanted to reach beyond my grasp. It became pretty clear to me where I was headed. I joined the Peace Corps.”

While her friends sought employment in the west, Sarah headed east. Africa to be exact. “I went to Senegal. I lived in a hut for two years with virtually no running water. No electricity. I loved it.”

It was here that Sarah met Steve Bolinger, another Peace Corps volunteer, and together, they founded Development In Gardening, more commonly known as DIG. DIG is a non-profit grass roots organization with a mission to improve the health and well being of primarily HIV-positive and other at-risk individuals in developing nations. By teaching the skills and providing the infrastructure to create sustainable community gardens, DIG empowers people to improve their nutrition and their earning potential.

Now with efforts in Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Namibia, and the Dominican Republic, DIG is planting the seed of hope for hundreds of individuals and families. “Most of the individuals we serve are affected somehow by HIV,” explains Sarah. “Orphans who have lost parents, hospitals treating people with HIV, and women who are now widows and have found themselves sick at the same time, are now the primary care givers. It’s tragic, but it’s, in this adversity, that I see triumph.”

Sarah states, “These were people destined to be outcast forever. Now they are no longer invalids. They are now providers. For themselves. For their children and for each other. They have now even become teachers to others in the community. It is about perseverance over adversity. These people inspire me. I am here to serve them. But they inspire me. They are my heroes.”

Through the cultivation of urban vegetable micro gardens, DIG provides sustainable nutritional support to patients creating income-generating opportunities and offering a safe place for affected individuals to gather, fostering community strength and support. But it’s the cultivation of something more than crops. It’s the sustainability of more than basic nutrition.

“You know,” says Sarah, “I don’t look at what we’re doing as this complex idea. It’s really quite simple. People are sick. They need nutrition. We help empower them to provide that nutrition themselves. It builds confidence, individually and collectively. It’s a ripple effect. Good leads to good. For all of us. When we till the fertile soil of empowerment, we all bear sustaining fruit. When we plant the seeds of compassion, we all harvest a transformation. When we pull the weeds of despair, we all reach upward. Good begets good. Truly, when we sow hope, we all reap a more abundant life.”

For more information, visit developmentingardening.org.

SARAH KOCH is a Regions customer.

Everyone has a story.