Fort de France, Fort-de-France (FUA), Martinique
City population: 140947
Duration: 2021 – 2023
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Unknown
Last updated: June 2025

The socio-economic and gendered challenges faced by female migrants in Martinique were highlighted by the NGO D’Antilles et D’Ailleurs. The organization emphasized that Martinique continues to suffer the lasting effects of colonial and patriarchal violence, particularly affecting migrant women from Venezuela, Dominica, and Haiti. Many of these women find themselves in vulnerable situations, often engaged in sex work. To address these issues, D’Antilles et D’Ailleurs and the Red Cross of Martinique developed support services to help women transition out of prostitution, assisting with legal and bureaucratic processes. One notable initiative was the creation of a therapeutic garden, part of a broader European "Green Health" project supported by Erasmus Plus. The garden, designed to resemble a "Creole Garden," serves as a nature-based solution (NBS), providing a safe and culturally familiar space for healing, community-building, and skill development. Women can engage in gardening, participate in workshops, and learn practical skills such as making natural products, budgeting, and learning French. Additionally, the garden offers a space for emotional recovery, helping women navigate the challenges of rebuilding their lives while waiting for bureaucratic and legal decisions.(1, 2, 3)

The Green health project
The Green health project
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=254391743940203&set=pb.100081081364398.-2207520000

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Community gardens and allotments
  • Community gardens

Key challenges

  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social cohesion
  • Social justice and equity
  • Environmental education
  • Sense of community and community engagement

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
  • Mental health issues (stress, anxiety)
  • Loss of sense of place and identity
  • Social fragmentation and isolation
  • Poor community engagement

Key priorities

Social Justice and community

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Educational and awareness raising programs

Project objectives

To support the empowerment and skill development of vulnerable women through tailored learning opportunities. To enhance the competencies of adult educators in guiding vulnerable women toward integration and skill acquisition. To improve educators’ understanding of the intersection between eco-approaches, health, therapy, and learning. To expand educational tools and pathways for women facing severe vulnerabilities, promoting both learning and rehabilitation. To contribute to EU awareness on the links between environment, health, and sustainability. To foster EU dialogue on mental health and social exclusion among women. (4)

Implementation activities

The Erasmus+ KA2 project “Green Health: Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens” was launched in November 2021 with a duration of 24 months. Design and testing of an innovative learning path aimed at developing basic and entrepreneurial skills while rehabilitating through healing gardens. The project's online learning platform, offering training modules in areas including therapeutic garden creation, self-production, business creation, and the circular economy, was completed in 2023. (1)
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes

Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities

Low-income neighborhoods, Coastal communities, Minority or marginalized ethnic groups

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Women

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Non-government organisation/civil society

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

This project was funded by the EU through the Erasmus Plus “Green Health” initiative. The therapeutic garden, established within the Red Cross infrastructure, is jointly owned by the Red Cross and D’Antilles et D’Ailleurs. However, D’Antilles et D’Ailleurs led the project’s design, narrative, and implementation. The Red Cross contributed by providing the garden space and employing an independent permaculture expert to conduct gardening and therapeutic workshops. (1, 2)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, Support from transitional governance actors

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
  • Private sector (businesses, financial institution)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Achieved increased green space area

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Achieved improved social cohesion
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
  • Achieved increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

1.
D’Antilles & D’Ailleurs (n.d.). Our Mission. Accessed on March 28, 2025, [Source link];
2.
D’Antilles & D’Ailleurs (n.d.). Green Health - the project . Accessed on March 28, 2025,;
3.
D’Antilles & D’Ailleurs (n.d.). Green Interculturality. Accessed on March 28, 2025, [Source link];
4.
Innovation Hive (n.d.). Green Health: Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens. Accessed on March 28, 2025,;
5.
Ville data (n.d.). Nombre d'habitants Fort-de-France 2024.;
6.
InnovHive (n.d.). HEALING GARDENS AS A MEANS OF EMPOWERMENT FOR VULNERABLE WOMEN. Accessed on March 28, 2025,;
7.
(n.d.). EU Erasmus: Green Health. Accessed on March 28, 2025,;
The Green health project
The Green health project
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=254391743940203&set=pb.100081081364398.-2207520000
Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens
Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens
https://www.dantillesetdailleurs.org/projets/green-health/
Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens
Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens
https://www.dantillesetdailleurs.org/projets/green-health/
Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens
Unlocking Skills through Healing Gardens
https://www.dantillesetdailleurs.org/projets/green-health/
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.