RPCV Sarah Koch fights HIV in Senegal by growing gardens



She formed DIG with Steve Bolinger. He is in Senegal working to build the organization's third community garden at an AIDS clinic, while Koch visits family and friends. Her visit home coincides with her fundraising role for the nonprofit. The certified 501c(3) organization's mission is to address malnutrition among AIDS victims. "HIV/AIDS sufferers who follow a complete and balanced diet live longer and more productive lives than those who suffer from the virus coupled with malnutrition," Koch said. Medical research shows that HIV/AIDS patients who start powerful medications when they are malnourished are six times more likely to die than those who have proper nutrition. DIG is creating urban vegetable gardens on the grounds of hospitals, clinics and orphanages with the purpose of introducing fresh vegetables into a diet that traditionally has been too heavy on carbohydrates, Koch said. DIG teaches the patients about urban agriculture so that cultivation continues without Bolinger's direct supervision. The first two gardens are in Dakar, Senegal's capital, and the third is under construction in Ziguinchor, Senegal. The cost to start a new garden for tools, supplies and labor is about $5,000, Koch said, but maintaining those already in production runs about $1,500 a year. The two co-founders are not getting rich at this, she said. "We pay ourselves about $1,000 a month," Koch said. Right now her role is primarily fundraising, she said, but she plans to return to Senegal "as soon as I can afford a plane ticket."

RPCV Sarah Koch fights HIV in Senegal by growing gardens

Woman fights HIV in Senegal by growing gardens

Monday, June 18, 2007

NANCY WILSTACH
News staff writer

For Sarah Koch, a garden is a pathway to international health, friendship and respect, and the western African nation of Senegal offers fertile ground.

The recently returned Peace Corps volunteer has joined with another former volunteer to create DIG, Development In Gardening, as a way to continue helping the Senegalese. Though now, instead of living in a mud hut among relatively healthy villagers, Koch's efforts are targeted to Senegalese HIV/AIDS patients.

Koch, 25, a north Shelby resident and Oak Mountain High School graduate, spent two years living in a mud hut in one of Senegal's remote villages after receiving a bachelor's degree in art history and fine arts from the College of Charleston.

Her job was to raise levels of nutrition and hygiene as a means of lowering infant and maternal mortality. Small changes, such as encouraging hand washing and decreasing the level of carbohydrates in the diet, made a difference, she said. Before departing, she had trained a cadre of women to keep the effort alive.

Although the life was hard and alien to a young woman reared in the comfort of Meadow Brook, Koch said she loved the people.

"They are so beautiful," she said. "They thought I was so hilarious. My hands were too soft for their work, and I didn't know how to eat or talk."

The former Oak Mountain High girls soccer captain scored points with her Senegal hosts when she played soccer with the men. Senegalese women don't traditionally play soccer.

"I had a free pass," Koch laughed. "I was so different anyway. It really worked well. I could talk to the women about things they never would have discussed with a man, and I could drink tea with the men and play soccer with them."

The men were, in fact, very fond of her. "I had lots of marriage proposals," she said, "involving quite a lot of cows." Cows are a measure of rural wealth there. She dealt with her suitors gently, firmly and with humor, she said.

She formed DIG with Steve Bolinger. He is in Senegal working to build the organization's third community garden at an AIDS clinic, while Koch visits family and friends. Her visit home coincides with her fundraising role for the nonprofit.

The certified 501c(3) organization's mission is to address malnutrition among AIDS victims. "HIV/AIDS sufferers who follow a complete and balanced diet live longer and more productive lives than those who suffer from the virus coupled with malnutrition," Koch said.

Medical research shows that HIV/AIDS patients who start powerful medications when they are malnourished are six times more likely to die than those who have proper nutrition.

DIG is creating urban vegetable gardens on the grounds of hospitals, clinics and orphanages with the purpose of introducing fresh vegetables into a diet that traditionally has been too heavy on carbohydrates, Koch said. DIG teaches the patients about urban agriculture so that cultivation continues without Bolinger's direct supervision.

The first two gardens are in Dakar, Senegal's capital, and the third is under construction in Ziguinchor, Senegal. The cost to start a new garden for tools, supplies and labor is about $5,000, Koch said, but maintaining those already in production runs about $1,500 a year. The two co-founders are not getting rich at this, she said.

"We pay ourselves about $1,000 a month," Koch said. Right now her role is primarily fundraising, she said, but she plans to return to Senegal "as soon as I can afford a plane ticket."

E-mail: nwilstach@bhamnews.com

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: June, 2007; Peace Corps Senegal; Directory of Senegal RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Senegal RPCVs; HIV; AIDS

When this story was posted in November 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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