School to School - Connect Urban & Rural Children

#WestBengalUpdate: More than being a proactive method to counter undernutrition among children, kitchen gardens are an effective way to make students understand the process by which food reaches their plate. It helps in creating a healthy lifestyle with a good understanding of self-sustenance.

Primary school teacher Rajiv Show from Jiabandi village, Bankura District, West Bengal had been an active campaigner for Goonj’s work in the region. Earlier he had worked alongside Goonj Team to build a kitchen garden and add more nutrition to the school’s midday meal. After his transfer to Dhabani Primary School, Rajiv and his colleague took the initiative to bring Goonj’s initiative to his new school. They organized a meeting with parents to encourage them to participate in a kitchen garden building activity with Goonj. In an area where the involvement of parents in school activities was almost nonexistent, it was a necessary step to involve parents in the process of education and create a sense of ownership regarding the school and its premises.

Dhabaani Primary School has a fairly large compound and the parents and teachers were able to easily clear out a 40x40 feet area. Five parents volunteered to build the garden and worked alongside the students who had their first hands-on learning about farming. Carrots, cabbages, onions and chilli were planted along with a few varieties of flowers. The amount required for purchasing seeds and saplings
as well as nets required for building a boundary for the garden was raised from the school funds. Upon completion, the students were given responsibility for watering the plants as well as its secure maintenance.

As a reward for their efforts, The parents and teachers were rewarded with comprehensive Goonj Family Kits. The school was provided with toys, bicycles and other learning materials from Goonj.. While the students were awarded with carefully made Goonj School Kits.