A Message from the President of SHARED

Undernutrition: An Urgent Opportunity

"Seeds of Change" Program: Our Response

Dear Friends,

Common sense tells us that good nutrition is an essential ingredient of good health. The better our diets, the stronger our immune systems are to fight off disease. Children living in extreme poverty face many challenges including hunger.

According to the January 19, 2008 edition of The Lancet, lack of sufficient food, undernutrition, is the preventable cause of more than 3.5 million child deaths every year . After two years of age, undernutrition causes irreversible damage for future physical and mental development. A window of opportunity exists between pregnancy and the age of two to ensure a child's healthy development by providing a balanced diet.

Coupled with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Lesotho, southern Africa, thousands of its 180,000 orphans are hungry. Many children live on their own caring for younger sisters and brothers. Communities are struggling to provide for the children on their doorsteps.

SHARED has launched the “Seeds of Change” project to fund community gardens where individuals plant, tend, and harvest fruits and vegetables that feed HIV/AIDS children and adults. By funding gardens, hundreds of families grow food for themselves and sell excess produce in the community, contributing to the self-sustainability of the garden. The proceeds from the sale of excess produce can be used to buy seeds for the next growing season or to purchase other types of food for a balanced diet.

Our first community garden was planted two years ago when the Maseru Children's Village asked us to help expand their vegetable garden to an unused portion of their land. With the assistance of volunteers from the community including the Agricultural Department at the Lesotho College, the garden has grown and flourished, feeding the children and staff, creating a surplus for sale or freezing.

A second garden is being planted at the Louis Gregory Foundation in Mokhotlong and other plans are on the drawing board for additional gardens in other locations. The average garden costs $3,000.00 to $4,000.00 and gives people the tools to feed themselves while learning agricultural skills. The end result: Better nutrition leads to better health!

I hope I can count on your support to help SHARED expand our operations to fund and manage more community gardens. Please consider inviting a family member, friend or colleague to match your generosity with a tax-deductible contribution.

So please be generous as you can, and keep in mind that your donation is an investment in the future of the 180,000 AIDS orphans in Lesotho.

Plant the "Seeds of Change" by making your contribution today. Together, we can change the world, one child at a time.

With best wishes,

Elizabeth A. Ziemba
President