Resilience in simple terms/ La résilience en termes simples 

The Keyhole Garden – Everyday Resilience in Action  

    

By Michael Hill,  Senior Writer in Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

For many of us, a vegetable garden is a relaxing diversion as well as a welcome source of tasty, fresh produce for our dinner tables. But such a garden can transform the lives of those who struggle to get enough to eat. The Keyhole Garden, named for its shape, is grown on a raised bed made of locally available materials. Its waist-high design makes it easy for those too old to work the fields to maintain. Properly situated, it can provide crops year round – and a fantastic way to build a family's resilience.

For a family whose diet is dominated by a starchy staple crop -- corn or cassava or rice -- such vitamin and nutrient-rich additions to meals can mean the difference between sickness and health. The garden can also provide produce to sell, income that helps the family withstand a bad harvest. Catholic Relief Services has taught thousands of families around the world how to build these transformative gardens, and now we're bringing the idea to the Sahel. 

Watch how simple it is to make one:

For more information on CRS in the region, see http://crs.org/countries/senegal