UK: ‘Gardening helped me survive’ says refugee who grew own food
His passion for growing his own food has inspired a community project to help others like him
By Asha Patel
Leicestershire Live
14 June 2021
Excerpt:
A refugee who started to grow his own food when he struggled to buy the items he wanted from supermarkets has inspired a community growing project in Leicester.
Joel Chitsa, who is in his 50s, sought asylum in the UK after fleeing Zimbabwe in 2006, and moved to Leicester in 2009.
A vegan, he said he struggled to find the foods he preferred, so he decided to grow his own on an allotment.
Joel started with a small plot in Braunstone, and, although he had no prior experience, quickly discovered his green-fingered talents growing vegetables such as bitter gourd and okra.
“I didn’t actually know I was a gardener, I didn’t know I had that in me,” he said.
Until last year, when Joel was granted ‘leave to remain’ status, he was seeking asylum. He said that during some of the most challenging times of his life in the UK, his allotment brought him solace.
“It’s gardening that enabled me to survive – otherwise I would have been facing depression or something like that,” he said.
“I found that it was therapeutic when dealing with my situation.”
Joel has subsequently extended his growing area with an additional three plots, and his passion for gardening has inspired a project called Get Growing.
