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GARDENS, GREENSPACE, AND HEALTH

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Gardens, Greenspace, and Health responds to a lack of green space, social isolation, and food insecurity in Eliseo Collazos. It involves the participatory design and construction of 29 household gardens in Eliseo Collazos and the monitoring and evaluation of their impacts. The project began with a baseline assessment of well-being in the community. During subsequent participatory design workshops, the IUCI team worked with community members to design a low cost household garden ‘kit of parts’. Community members created 3D garden models using scaled ‘kit of parts’ components and, following capacity building workshops in garden construction and cultivation, built and planted their own gardens. Community members are now growing food, flowers and other plants and have begun selling produce. The gardens are strengthening social capital, reducing stress, and improving mental well-being. Birds and insects have begun to frequent the gardens.