Ensure access to education for children in Kenya

In October we broke ground on our new vegetable garden. It was a more complex project than you might anticipate. Our school is located in a dry, arid, remote environment. The very issues that access to education challenging for the local residents, also make it difficult to grow food. Limited access to water and beating intense sun can limit the vegetable options available to us. But we wanted to try. Our educational model is built upon supporting our students to develop a respect for their local community and the environment. Instead of buying kale, spinach, carrotts, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, and cauliflower every month, we wanted to be able to grow it locally.

So we set out to do just that. We engaged a water resources engineer, we drilled a well, we established a water storage system, we set-up a shade net to block 50% of the sun's intensity, we plowed the land, and we set-up drip irrigation lines across 18 equal rows - preparing ourselves for building the beds and planting the seedlings. Our first vegetable harvest was in December, and now we have a growing cycle established. Our Chef visits the garden every day to evaluate the readiness of the vegetables and plan the menu based on the availability of the day.

And you helped make it all possible. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Tad