Bestseller Update
April 13, 2015Our new School Demonstration Gardens (SDGs) project, supported by the Bestseller Fund, recently launched, in the Amuru district of northern Uganda. You can read more about the project here: https://africanrevival.org/what-we-do/uganda/livelihoods/
Since its launch, our livelihoods team – Babra, Bosco and Patrick – based in the field office of the Amuru district have been hard at work holding sensitization meetings in the 15 schools selected for this programme. During these meetings, the team explain the purpose and components of the programme to the local community, before mobilising the garden groups and democratically voting on the group’s leadership, who then sign a memo of understanding with African Revival, confirming their commitment to the programme.
The livelihoods team has been overwhelmed by the community’s enthusiasm for this project; the team was expecting no more than 40 parents to be involved in each demonstration garden but in some schools, over 70 parents attended the sensitization meetings! Patrick, one of our assistants on the project told us that “we are busy, but we are really enjoying meeting all the parents, and working alongside them to create wonderful gardens which will serve the school, the community and ultimately, the students”
The hard work is paying off as the project has been well-received by the schools; during one meeting at Atiak Primary School, one parent (pictured) noted “I am impressed with how African Revival work with us on the ground; it has really built our trust. I am grateful, because as a parent, I don’t always notice the gaps in the children’s school, but African Revival has not only noticed the areas for improvement but worked with us to come up with a solution”.
The sensitization and mobilisation phase of the project has now been completed, and the garden groups are now working on their crop selection and devising their work plan to establish their gardens. With the support of our livelihood’s team, each garden group is choosing – through democratic vote – four crops to grow: a vegetable, a fruit, a field crop (such as maize and beans), and a tree (like banana or mango trees), which can simply be maintained every year. At Atiak Primary School, the group have chosen to plant beans, onions, papaya fruit, and banana trees.
Planting will begin soon, but first, the group will receive agricultural training from African Revival, and training on how to efficiently save money so that parents can utilise their earnings from the garden to support their children’s schooling – through paying school fees, or providing scholastic materials. The parents are looking forward to commencing work, with one parent, John, assuring the team that “we are ready and willing to work together to ultimately bring up the level of our children’s education and learning, from where they were. We want to work hard in this garden, so that we can be a model to other schools, who can learn from us”. Indeed, Martin, the vice-chairman of Atiak’s PTA echoed John’s words, by adding that co-operation is key for the success of the garden.
Ultimately, African Revival, wants to parents’ incomes increased so that they can provide for all their children’s needs. We are looking forward to seeing well-fed children thriving at school, and learning new agricultural skills which may serve them well for the rest of their lives.
As the rainy season is now in full swing, and the planting begins, we will be right there documenting the activities so do keep your eyes peeled for updates on our website, and on social media. We cannot wait to sample the crops which will be growing in the school gardens very soon!
