Buy Gifts Donate Basket

Garden twinning

Twin your garden and grow side by side with a family in rural Migori, Kenya

What you'll receive

What difference will my Garden Twinning donation make?

“Before working with Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow) my children were dangerously malnourished. We had no money and food. One technique I have learned is how to create a keyhole garden. It is very good at providing healthy soil for growing.”

Caroline, Participant in Ripple Effect's Improving Nutrition project, Rural Kenya

What do people think of Garden Twinning?

Ripple Effect
Claire “Gardening sustainably for myself and others gives me immense pleasure, only heightened by passing on that joy to others. ”
Ripple Effect
Reuben “Garden twinning is a great way to provide families in Africa with the support they need, whilst getting top tips for my own garden. I’m proud of my garden and now proud to help families in Africa grow the crops they need.”
Ripple Effect
Rachel “I heard about twinning my garden and thought it was a great idea. I like that I get to support families in Africa and it feels like we are growing together.”

FAQs

What is garden twinning?

Garden Twinning is Ripple Effect’s garden twinning campaign and for a donation of £60, you can twin your garden with another in rural Migori, Kenya. Your donation could help a family living in rural-Africa with 3-years training in sustainable organic farming. In return you’ll receive a sustainable wooden plaque to hang in your garden and further information on gardening both here in the UK and in rural Africa.

Why Garden Twinning?

Garden Twinning was inspired by our supporters’ love of gardening, and the life-changing effect gardening can have on the lives of families we work alongside in rural Africa.

Will I be able to see the exact garden in rural Africa my garden will be twinned with?

We don’t link individual donations from Garden Twinning to specific gardens, as the cost of administering this would reduce how much we are able to spend on delivering life-changing training to families living in poverty. Rest assured that every pound you donate, will go towards supporting our Women of Migori project in Kenya where we are working together with 1,000 women farmers to grow their families out of poverty.

Can I twin with a garden in a different country?

At the moment all Garden Twinning donations will support our Women of Migori project in Kenya as this has been identified as a priority project for the organisation and where the need is currently greatest. In the future, once 1,000 gardens have been twinned as part of this project, we will move our focus to another priority project.

How will my donation be spent?

We have based the cost of your Garden Twinning donation on the accurate cost of providing training in sustainable agriculture to a family in rural Migori, Kenya for a 3-year period. This is only an example of what your money could achieve, and your donation will go towards the full cost of our Women of Migori project in Kenya.

How many gardens in Migori are supported by Ripple Effect?

The first 1,000 gardens twinned will support our Women of Migori project Kenya where we will be working alongside families so they can grow enough to eat from their gardens, set up small business and go after their dreams. Once we have twinned the 1,000 gardens through this scheme, we will choose another project where the need is greatest.

What is grown in these gardens?

The families we work with focus on growing diverse and vitamin-rich varieties such as sweet potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, spinach and squash to name a few. Often families also grow African leafy vegetables such as black night shade, spider weed and jute mallow.

Will I get updates about the gardens?

If you tell us you’d like to receive ongoing emails from us, we’ll continue to keep you updated on the impact of your donation and further ways to get involved. This will include how gardening can be life-changing for the families we work alongside, plus tips on how to make the most out of your own garden. We are unable to give you information on specific family's gardens as the cost of administration would be too high.

You say you can’t wait to share the techniques that families in Africa are using. When/how will I get this information?

When you receive your Garden Twinning plaque, you’ll also receive a planting guide which references the plants grown in Kenya, plus some techniques farmers in Kenya are using their Gardens. You’ll also receive a QR code to access a webpage on our website with further information.

Does a garden cost £60?

We have based the cost of your Garden Twinning donation on the accurate cost of providing training in sustainable agriculture to a family in rural Migori, Kenya for a three-year period.

What's the difference between this and your virtual gifts like Garden Gadgets, Keyhole Garden or Allotment?

By Garden Twinning, you are joining a community of gardeners who are kindly supporting our Women of Migori project in Kenya. We hope our Garden Twinning pack will inspire you to grow more in your own garden, plus learn more about how the families in rural Africa we work alongside are changing their own lives through growing. You’ll also receive a plaque in recognition of your gift to show off in your garden – we hope you’ll tell you friends!

How do I pay for my Garden Twinning pack?

Online – you can order here on our website using your debit or credit card.

Cheque – if you have received an order form in the post you can return this and pay either using your debit or credit card, or with a cheque made payable to Ripple Effect.

Telephone – you can call our friendly supporter care team on 01225 874 222 from Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm.

How sustainable is my Garden Twinning pack?

Your plaque will be made from sustainable timber resources and all other printed items are produced on paper from sustainably managed forests. We hope that our supporters will enjoy learning from their resources, but we’d also love it if they were shared with friends or recycled after use.

Why hasn’t my pack arrived yet?

Please note that we will aim to dispatch gift orders within 5 working days of your order being placed, so please order in advance to avoid disappointment.

Will my plaque be personalised with my name?

Our plaques are not personalised but have the following text:
This garden is twinned with another in rural Migori, Kenya

Growing side by side to plant hope for the future

Can I twin a friend’s garden and send direct to them?

Yes – all you have to do is change the delivery address as you go through the checkout process.

If I do this will you also send me an acknowledgement?

You will receive an automatic confirmation via email that your order has been placed.

How do I hang my plaque up?

We will send you a hook with your plaque, so you are able to hang it on a wall. However, the plaques also stand up by themselves if you wish to display on a shelf or window ledge.

Can you claim Gift Aid on my donation?

The Gift Aid system allows Ripple Effect to reclaim the tax on all Garden Together donations from UK taxpayers. Ripple Effect can claim 25% back on every donation/garden twinned i.e., £15 on top of your £60 donation – at no extra cost to you!

You can make a Gift Aid declaration to Ripple Effect if you are a UK taxpayer by completing the Gift Aid details when making payment on our website or using a paper order form.

Why spend money on Garden Twinning plaques?

The idea of Garden Twinning is that you display your plaque in your garden or home. We hope you’ll show it off with pride, and that your friends might be inspired to twin their gardens too, raising further funds to help more families in rural Africa to grow enough to eat and plant hope for the future.

Sign up to hear more

Want to hear good news stories from Africa, get involved in fantastic fundraising and be part of exciting events? Fill out your details below and we will keep you updated by email.

Name *