After seeing the impact, Bolinger made plans to replicate the program once out of the Peace Corps. He recruited a friend, Sarah Koch, a rural health extension agent he met in the Peace Corps, who often volunteered at the original garden in Dakar. They launched Development in Gardening after discovering a lack of gardening outreach programs.

Development in Gardening has expanded the program in Senegal and is looking into further efforts elsewhere. The organization says its mission is “to improve the lives of individuals who are affected by HIV and living in impoverished nations.” (developmentingardening.org)

The program pairs with other nonprofits, such as Seed and Light International, a New Mexico-based group that provides the seeds for the gardens.

Bolinger says the impact has been profound.

At the National Fann Hospital in Dakar, the garden supplements more than 900 patient meals per month. Surplus produce is sold on the market to support other hospital programs. In June, first lady Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna visited the garden during their African tour.

Nutrition for the Senegalese patients could mean the difference between life and death. Malnourishment can make already detrimental side effects from antiretroviral drugs worse, lessening the chance that patients will stick to their treatment.

With the regional diet consisting mostly of eggplant, carrots and okra, Bolinger sought to enrich their diets with nutrient-rich foods such as kale, collard greens and beets.

“We would teach them first to grow these foods, then how to cook with them and incorporate new vegetables into their dishes,” he said.

Bolinger and Koch have since expanded DIG to include urban-garden projects for outpatients at the original Senegal hospital, and at a hospital in the southern city of Ziguinchor.

“We spend six months there teaching them how to garden,” said Bolinger. “In Ziguinchor, the outpatients had absolutely no food. Now, they have food to provide for their families, and we've taught them how to make money selling the excess product.”

Many of the outpatients are widows.

“These gardens give them a home base,” Bolinger said. “There is a lot of stigma in Africa about HIV. Some of the women are completely isolated from their families. We offer them a safe place to come and laugh and share their stories about living with HIV. You can't measure (the benefits of) that.”

Gardening in Africa doesn't come without its challenges. Sandy soil leads to creative soil alternatives, such as potting soil mixed with peanut shells to create more fertile planting ground. Also, DIG teaches patients how to grow their own crops at home.

“We give them a five-day training class on building a garden at home,” said Bolinger. “We teach them to use recycled materials as planters – tires, water bottles, whatever free containers they can find.”

Since money is short, they also instruct the local women how to make natural fertilizer with manure.

“They have to know how to do this without money,” Bolinger said. “The home gardens they create are absolutely incredible.”