Location: Killarney
Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative (KASI) is developing a community garden on the outskirts of Killarney town. The garden will provide a ‘social space’ that will help facilitate interaction between the target groups and local communities, in a very holistic and ‘organic’ manner, of working together, sharing and exchanging ideas, skills, crops, food and culture. Training will also be provided in gardening, healthy eating on a budget and nutrition, incorporating language training support for participants with very little English. 
The community garden will provide a form of activity through volunteerism, for asylum seekers in direct provisions who are not allowed to work. This is a very innovative and exciting project for KASI as, while the project will be growing crops, in the process it will also facilitate interaction between the target groups and local communities, in a holistic and ‘organic’ manner, of working together, sharing and exchanging ideas, skills, crops, food and culture.
The sedentary lifestyle in direct provisions can cause isolation, depression and other mental health issues for asylum seekers. The community garden project will also provide space for migrant workers and their families (most of whom live in flats and apartments and do not have access to a garden space) to grow their own crops.
The community garden project will provide training on organic gardening, nutrition, healthy eating habits, cooking on a budget, cookery demonstrations and an opportunity for participants to exchange skills, knowledge, recipes and food. In addition, the project will enable locals to get information on nutritional values of herbs and authentic, healthy ethnic recipes.
KASI will negotiate with direct provision caterers so they (KASI) will be able to supply fresh fruit and vegetables at a very reasonable price, to ensure that residents in direct provisions have access to fresh produce. This initiative could also facilitate KASI influencing the diets / menu in direct provisions.
KASI will open a café style space for meetings, trainings, cookery demonstrations and social space for target groups and locals.
Objectives
- To develop their community garden
- To provide some sort of ‘occupation’ for asylum seekers in direct provisions, who are not allowed to work and experience isolation, depression and other mental health issues
- To provide a space for migrant workers and their families to grow their own crops
- To provide training in gardening, nutrition, healthy eating habits and cooking on a budget
- For participants to provide cookery demonstrations using seasonal produce from the garden
- To provide an opportunity for participants to exchange skills, knowledge, recipes and food
- To facilitate interaction between the target groups and local community
- To produce a recipe/cookery book, with migrants and local participants providing ethnic recipes from their respective countries.
The community garden project will raise awareness on the value of growing and consuming local produce. This project could open up ideas for other community groups and individuals to grow their own crops and better understand the importance of healthy eating habits.
About the organisation
Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative (KASI) was set up in 2000 to support asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers and their families, and facilitate their integration into the community.
KASI provides
- a warm and ‘homely’ social space, where people feel safe, respected and welcomed
- educational training, social and cultural programmes
- information, advice, advocacy, practical support and facilitates awareness-raising programmes on immigration and anti-racism issues.
KASI also promotes appreciation and celebration of cultural diversity, and encourages interaction and integration of target groups into the local community. It aims to improve the link between target groups and local people, other service and support providers, community groups and local schools. KASI acquired a site from Killarney Parish for a community garden project.
Find out more about the funded community food initiatives
East Belfast Healthy Eating Education Programme (Belfast) | Food Focus Community Food Initiative (Cork) | Food for Life (Derry) | Footprints Women’s Centre Building a Transition Community (Belfast) | Limerick Seed to Plate Project (Limerick) | The Food Garden Project (Dundalk)