A new poem by Ruth Akinyi

Where my hands plant hope

I did not choose a path of easy roads,
I chose the soil, where a small seed grows.
I chose the girl who was told, “You cannot,”
And whispered, “You can, your story is not over yet.”

Through Wasichana Tunaweza,¹ I have learned
That when one girl rises, many lives are turned.
A young mother with a child in her arms,
can still hold a dream, can still carry hope,
can return to school, learn a skill
and build a future with courage and will.

I teach more than planting seeds in the ground.
I teach people to see the life that surrounds them:
the chicken that feeds a family,
the compost that feeds the earth,
the garden that feeds a child,
the tree that will shade generations yet unborn.

Through permaculture, I teach that nothing is wasted—
not a dry leaf, not a seed, not a forgotten dream.
Waste becomes nourishment.
Bare land becomes a garden.
A struggling family becomes a learner.
A learner becomes a teacher.
And a teacher becomes a light for many.

Through APSN² and Earth Restorer Hubs³
our hands reach farther.
Across communities, across borders, across Africa.
We share knowledge, we listen, we learn.
We walk beside those building from what they have.
Not charity alone, but dignity.
Not dependency, but possibility.
Not simply giving people fish,
but teaching them how to restore the pond.

I have stood where the soil was tired
and watched people breathe life back into it.
I have seen gardens rise from small spaces,
chickens become livelihoods,
seeds become food
and knowledge become confidence.

I teach the young.
I teach the mothers.
I teach the farmer.
I teach the community.
And sometimes, without knowing it,
the community teaches me.

Because permaculture is more than farming.
It is a way of seeing
that people and planet belong together,
that abundance can grow from little,
that cooperation can heal what isolation cannot,
and that every pair of hands has something to give.

My work may look like a garden,
but beneath the leaves are dreams.
Beneath the soil are possibilities.
And among the seeds are children
who may one day inherit a better world.

So I will keep planting.
Keep teaching.
Keep listening.
Keep connecting hands and hearts.

For the girl who thinks her story has ended,
I will help her find another chapter.

For the farmer who sees only tired soil,
I will help them see life waiting underneath.

For the community that believes it has little,
I will remind them:

You already have seeds.
You already have hands.
You already have wisdom.
Together, you can grow.

And perhaps that is my greatest work—
not simply to grow gardens,
but to grow people.

Not simply to restore land,
but to restore hope.

Not simply to teach permaculture,
but to plant a future

one girl,
one family,
one garden,
one community,
one seed at a time.

[An audio reading by the poet is coming soon.]

Want to read more by Ruth?

From a Dream to a Garden of Hope — by Ruth Akinyi

Profile: Ruth Akinyi

1. Girls We Can ↩︎
2. Africa Permaculture Support Network ↩︎
3. https://jessicaperini.com/earth-restorer-hubs/ ↩︎