“Knowledge is like a garden, if you don't cultivate it you cannot harvest it.” - African Proverb
The advantages of a veggie garden:
- More variety and vitamins through variation and seasonal vegetables
- Pupils learn how to plant and maintain a vegetable plot
- “School grown” reduces the cost of school lunch
In Lower Moshi, living conditions are grim. Increasing deforestation means sandy plains, no shelter from the sun, and no crops to harvest for food or income. It is a daily struggle for families to find enough food.
For children in Lower Moshi, school lunch is a crucial reason for walking the many kilometres to school, as, for the majority of them, it is the only guaranteed meal of the day. School lunches are monotonous due to the limited budget: corn porridge for nursery schools and makande (corn & brown beans) for the older kids. Malnutrition is common, hindering learning performance. A solution is just around the corner: the school vegetable patch.
- With our partner: FT Kilimanjaro, we provide training on “how to make a successful vegetable plot in a sustainable and planet-friendly way”
- Using local agricultural and nursery experts, we provide infrastructure: water pipes, irrigation, fences (against hungry goats), garden tools and healthy seeds & seedlings
- Through motivation and encouragement, we award successful student growers with“The Green Fingers of the year”
Most schools in Lower Moshi do not have a vegetable garden yet. Constructing a 300 m long water pipe to the new kindergarten in Miwaleni, Greenmanjaro has provided easy access to drinking water and irrigation for the veggie garden.
Join us in the creation of vegetable gardens for every school.
