Beatrice and Bigi are sisters-in-law who happened to run into each other at a recent garden work day. And Beatrice says that is just what the garden is for: “The garden is where people unite together,” she says. "It provides space for people to connect and talk to each other."

“The garden is where people unite together,” Beatrice says. "It provides space for people to connect and talk to each other." — “The garden is where people unite together,” Beatrice says. "It provides space for people to connect and talk to each other."

At her plot, she plans to grow food to eat and share with her family. Beatrice also says learning about the cisterns and how they capture water for irrigation is knowledge she hopes to eventually bring home to Burundi. “I am excited about this garden.”

Bigi reserved four plots at the garden as part of the Congolese Integration Network. “We are getting multiple plots so that they come as a community to the garden,” says Big. “They gardened at home and are not able to here.”