A biologic school garden at the San Roque Elementary School
A garden project in the Philippines will support the children's healthy growth and development.
Many children in the Philippines are undernourished. To help these children develop and we have started an organic garden project at the San Roque Elementary School in the Philippines, which not only provides the school canteen with food for the Child & Family Foundation nutrition programme, but also provides the whole town with fresh vegetables.
Malnutrition effects the childrens development
85 pupils at the San Roque Elementary School suffer from malnutrition, 35 out of those suffer from “wasting”, which is the most serious form of malnourishment. Most of the children come from very poor backgrounds and their performances at school as well as their health are affected in a negative way by the bad nutritional situation. This pupils take part in the “Health and Nutrition Program” established by the Child and Family Foundation, which guarantees them breakfast and essential vitamins.
Fresh vegetables for a balanced diet
Especially fresh vegetables are important when it comes to a balanced diet. But the soil in the area where the San Roque Elemantary School is located is not very fertile due to the high portion of salt and sand and many people cannot afford to buy expensive fertilisers. Moreover, chemical fertilisers have a negative impact on the environment because beneficial organisms are being killed.
This is why the Greenfinity Foundation provides for an organic school garden including compost and natural pest control. With the support of the Department of Agriculture greenhouses and an irrigation system will be built and also vermicomposting will be used.
Greenfinity attaches great importance to sustainable management of the gardens and to the fact that they are entirely organic. Its goals are that the cultivation method will be passed on continuously by means of technology transfer and that damages to the environment caused by chemical production and overfertilisation will be counteracted step by step.
The biological garden provides vegetables to the school kitchen
The harvest will be used to provide the school with fresh vegetables which thus no longer have to be bought. Further, the garden contributes to establishing food security. In the event of surplus, surplus vegetables can be sold and create an additional income for the school. Also low-income families will receive vegetables from the school garden.
Training on how to establish a garden in the backyard
Pupils, teachers and parents will receive trainings in how to create an organic garden. The families can apply the acquired knowledge at home and thus improve their nutritional situation. During the initial phase of the project the Greenfinity will donate seeds so that the families can create their own gardens. On a long-term basis the gardens shall be managed sustainably, which means that seeds should be taken from the previous harvest.
