June 18, 2020

Through our Small Grants program, two visually impaired persons–Mr. Dorji Nedup and Mr. Tshering Dorji–recently created a start-up vegetable garden as a response to the slow down in their businesses due to COVID-19.

After acquiring ten decimals of land for their garden in Thimphu, as well as gathering all the necessary tools, both Dorji and Tshering have been working, with other persons with disabilities in their employ, to plant various vegetables including chilies, tomatoes, spinach, beans, cabbages, and radishes. At harvest time, the two plan to sell their vegetables in the local market and use the leftovers at home.

“Given the situation our country and the world is in at this moment, we, the visually impaired, are heavily disadvantaged. Most of us have opened small businesses before the outbreak of the virus. And now that many countries have locked down, and with our own country partially locked down, with minimum movement encouraged, most of our businesses are failing. With that in mind, we started a small initiative to begin an agricultural project amongst ourselves so that we can contribute meaningfully to the country during times of need, as well as sustain ourselves.”
– Mr. Dorji Nedup