In addition to the delicious produce, the garden also gives Fann patients a positive outlet. HIV/AIDS in Senegal still carries a stigma, and many patients carry the burden of their diagnosis alone. The communal gardening at Fann offers patients healthy social activity, and a sense of camaraderie. They're placed in positions of responsibility; the inpatients depend on them for food. And like all of us who lose track of time weeding, watering, and seeding, they enjoy the therapeutic benefits of gardening. In Dakar -- where the landscape alternates between large apartment complexes, tiny shacks, vacant sand lots, roadside vendors, construction sites, horse carts, and concrete roads -- Fann's walled-in gardens are a tranquil, green oasis.
Cooking Lessons
After visiting the gardens, I was treated to a cooking demonstration by the hospital's dietician, Ambroise Diatta. A blackboard in the kitchen lists each of the ingredients for the patients' daily meals, as well as the nutritional information and calorie count. About 30 patients at a time will cook and eat together. The social interaction increases their appetite -- an important step toward getting them the nutrients they need to stay well. While I was there, they prepared a national dish of Senegal, thieb u dien -- fish and rice. Spices, green tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes grown in the garden added extra color and nutrients.