Faced with the loss of her husband and no income of her own, Hwida had very few opportunities to better her circumstances. Living in the small village of Eqleet, Aswan and supported by her father, she needed a way to provide an education for her two children.

A kind neighbour invited Hwida to a local women’s association, where she received basic training from a local civil society organisation supported by the Om Habibeh Foundation (OHF). There, Hwida was provided the tools, materials, and training needed to start her own kitchen garden through OHF. She became an agricultural entrepreneur and began to change her circumstances. In her own backyard, Hwida started to grow crops such as tomatoes, onions, peppers and eggplants. By carefully maintaining her crops, Hwida was able to feed her family and support household expenses, including paying for her children to attend school.

Hwida began to manage her kitchen garden as her very own profitable business. Hwida was so successful she was invited to become a kitchen garden trainer and facilitator for OHF. Hwida is now helping women in other villages across the Aswan region to follow her path to success. She enjoys watching her fellow villagers grow and develop through her training and support.

For Hwida, a simple kitchen garden gave her an opportunity to generate income and nutritious food for her family, while helping others. Hwida is just one of 850 kitchen gardeners who attended intensive training – offered by OHF – and who were provided with the materials to start their own kitchen gardens.