FIRM staff has been working hard during the last month on developing the brand new African refugee garden. While work began during the summer (through the hard work of mission teams), a lot of the larger projects were yet to be completed. The Horticultural Therapeutic Community Center (HTCC) staff have all been involved in the following projects to get it ready for gardeners to plant in the next few weeks:
- Disc and plow the land
- Install drip-line irrigation
- Install a cast-iron fence around the garden (pictured)
- Build a shade and seating structure for peer support groups (pictured)
- Build a shed (pictured)
The HTCC program is funded through the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health and funds FIRM to operate 5 such gardens. This project was also made possible by the generous donation of the plot by 4141 Ministries! Meso Beta, FIRM’s African Garden site coordinator will be recruiting the gardeners, doing intake and beginning support groups in the next month or so! We look forward to great work beginning with the African community in Fresno.