Food Security Nicaragua Project #58944

Plant Seeds of Hope!

by Escuela Adelante

Summary

Help establish a school garden to be used as an educational tool where all the children will explore and learn about the food cycle of food growth, harvest, consumption and disposal within the context of classwork. Likewise, the garden will be a valuable resource for the school snack and lunch program. Help us to provide fresh produce for the school and snack program, thereby improving the quality and nutritional value of the food served and enabling school garden financial sustainability.

$10,000
total goal

$10,000
remaining

0
donors

0
monthly donors

3
days

Challenge

Nicaragua is a low-income & food-deficit country. Food insecurity is linked with poverty, worsened by climate change. 30% of families live in poverty; 8% in extreme poverty on less than $1.25/day. 17% of children under 5 suffer chronic malnutrition. Families struggle to provide a healthy meal. Escuela Adelante is the only school in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua to offer snack and lunch to students. Our garden will emphasize food production that honors the earth and preserves it for future use.

Solution

We will establish a school garden. Students will be responsible for planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting the crops for the school kitchen and cooking class. Teachers will incorporate the garden into lesson plans as a tool for teaching math, art, science, nutrition, and agriculture. We will recruit volunteers to help with maintenance and harvesting. The school will also host periodic workdays where parents, students, and community members can come together to work on the garden.

Long-Term Impact

Our program builds community while promoting good health, personal responsibility, and an engagement with nature. The goal is to create a garden for cooperative stewardship and interaction. Eventually we hope to sustain 30% of our food needs through our garden efforts which will help reduce the effects of poverty amongst our students and support their families. Through hands-on projects and an integrated curriculum, students construct knowledge, and the school provides a unique farming culture.