Addis Ababa - A project in Ethiopia is harnessing a healthy diet as part of the battle against AIDS in the East African country.
A well-balanced and vitamin-rich diet is an essential component of HIV/AIDS treatment, something not normally possible for poor people living in many parts of Africa.
The project in Ethiopia is showing this does not have to be the case.
Mulu Hunde stuffs fresh cabbage leaves into a jute sack as she proudly surveys the flourishing vegetable garden in front of her.
'My life is much better than before,' the 50-year-old says. 'I feel well and healthy.'
Mulu learned three years ago that she was HIV positive. She has had the good fortune of receiving regular antiretroviral therapy (ART) to keep the virus under control.
She also participates in a programme aimed at ensuring that patients enjoy a healthy diet - an important, but often forgotten component of any medical HIV treatment.
'A well-balanced diet, especially one that contains nutritional and vitamin-rich vegetables, minerals and antioxidants, is a key element when it comes to the effectiveness of ART,' explains Tsige Teferi, head of the Urban Gardens programme in the capital Addis Ababa.
'It is essential in order to sustain the body's immune functions,' Teferi says.
USAID (US Agency for International Development) has had the Urban Gardens programme operating in numerous parts of Ethiopia since 2008.
The project is mainly directed towards HIV-infected women. It is designed to improve their nutrition and income through urban and peri-urban agriculture, which includes gardening and raising livestock.
'We encourage our gardeners to take the harvest home to their families so that they can eat what they have grown,' Teferi says.
'If there is a surplus of vegetables, they can sell it at the market.'
Mulu tends a garden in the north-east of Addis Ababa with 62 other women. She has produced surpluses so often that it has allowed her to buy 20 sheep.
The garden is reached via a dirt track that runs through a eucalyptus wood and past green meadows offering views of the mountains in the background.
Rows of carrots, onions, beetroot, cabbage, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, salad and chards grow here, just a 20-minute drive from the hectic centre of the Ethiopian capital.
'Chards are an excellent source of vitamins C, E and K as well as minerals such as potassium, magnesium and iron,' Teferi explains.
'Vitamin K is particularly important for blood coagulation and building strong bones,' she adds.
The programme also has elements unrelated to nutrition, as many Ethiopian women living with HIV have to endure heavy physical work that further weakens the body. Mulu, for example, previously had to labour in a quarry for a living.
'What I'm doing now is much better for my health. It's much easier and I also don't have to breathe in dust the whole time,' she says.
'On top of that, we don't feel so alone. We talk to the other gardeners, discuss problems and help each other,' adds another participant, Tsehay Aberra, who tested positive for HIV two years ago, at age 23.
By the end of the year, USAID's Urban Gardens programme will have reached around 20,000 Ethiopians. A total of 336 vegetable gardens have been created in 23 cities.
Mulu slings the jute sack over her shoulder. It is time to cook dinner for her husband, who also has HIV.
Tsehay stays on to tend the garden as the sun sets on the horizon. Both women exude confidence and hope in the future - perhaps the greatest achievement of this Ethiopian garden project.
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