News & Features | November 12, 2026
From Floodwater to a Garden of Hope: Poni's Story
Resilience design has taught Poni how to work with her immediate natural environment - and turn a bare patch of land into a lush garden.
[Reposted from DCA Uganda]
When heavy rains swept through Bidibidi Refugee Settlement Zone 2, they rarely brought relief.
Instead, water would pool heavily around Poni Patricia’s compound, eventually flooding the perimeter of her house, weakening the walls and foundation.
“We used to see the water just pass. It used to flood,” recalls Poni. For the 33-year-old mother of five, the downpours were just another source of anxiety in a life already weighed down by uncertainty.
Today, she watches the rain with a completely different perspective. Because now the water can run into her vegetable garden,
“I am happy with what they have done for me, channelling the water to be useful.”
Through training in Resilience Design Poni learnt something new. She discovered how to actively transform her environment. The runoff that once threatened her home is now intentionally channelled into a thriving backyard garden.
The training was part of the DANIDA-funded Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) and was carried out by the organisation Partners in Community Transformation (PICOT).