Though it may be half a world away, David Moore has a close connection to a community in Uganda, and is hoping to share that connection with the Comox Valley.
Moore is the volunteer project officer with the Widows’ Gardens Project - a ministry whose goal is to provide Ugandan widows with the means to access land for food production.
On Friday, May 25, a musical benefit concert is scheduled at St. Peter’s Church Hall (218 Church Street) in Comox to raise funds to bring the reality of sustainable food security within reach of 360 widows.
The group is hoping to raise $22,000 a year as part of their six-year project goal (they are currently on year 2).
“The widows’ groups are led by very able women,” explained Moore. “They know how to garden, and they obtain food in return for their labour in other gardens.”
He said each widow that has participated in the project has been given access to 3/4 acre of land and already has planted her a variety of crops including bean, maize, millet, sorghum, ground nuts and soybeans.
With their crops, the women can feed and clothe their family and sell some of the harvest to pay for the next year’s land lease.
This year, Moore added the organization is hoping to bring in about another 60 widows to plots of land.
“We’re happy with the way things are going so far.”
The benefit concert will feature Brad Minton and the Jericho Road Light Band, as well as a silent auction and African crafts and fabric sale.
The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m.; tickets are $10 at the door. To reserve tickets, email widowsgardens@gmail.com.