GlobeMed at Middlebury

Who We Are // GlobeMed at Middlebury

Founded in 2008, GlobeMed at Middlebury College is one of 46 GlobeMed chapters working to improve the health of people living in poverty around the world. For our first two years we partnered with the Africa 2000 Network, a health and development NGO that works in poor farming communities throughout Uganda. Together, we supported programs that brought high-quality health education and agricultural training to these communities, ensuring that they have the knowledge, skills and resources to support their families and live a healthy life. We have recently begun a new partnership with Gardens for Health International, a NGO devoted to providing a sustainable approach to nutritional independence for the people of Rwanda.

Our Partner // Gardens for Health International in Gasabo, Rwanda

The GHI model represents a sustainable alternative to food aid packages, which can bring immediate results but offer little incentive for self-sufficiency. Gardens for Health aims to improve the health and socioeconomic status of Rwandans living with HIV/AIDS by equipping them with a different kind of package:

(1) Cooperative formation & land advocacy
(2) Inputs for community & home gardens
(3) Agriculture & nutrition training
(4) Income generation through agribusiness

Gardens for Health does not promise participants an immediate solution; rather, the gardens serve as places for those facing similar challenges to mobilize and work together to produce their own high-nutrient food and generate income. By working with existing community groups, GHI strengthens local, existing infrastructure rather than impose new protocols and structures.

Our Project // $7,000 for a new health center

GlobeMed at Middlebury College is working in Rwanda to expand GHI's Gukuru project to a new health center. This new health center will serve more than 600 individuals, help establish 120 home gardens, distribute chickens, organize community cooking demonstrations, hold health training sessions, and include a demonstration garden at the health center.