What children eat and drink during their early years can affect their health for many years to come. General eating habits are formed in the first few years of life, so it is important that we encourage our children to eat nutritious food.
Fruit and vegetables are very important for children. They are an excellent source of vitamins and many contain important minerals such as potassium, calcium and iron. They also contain fibre to keep the digestive system healthy. This specific proposal is created to encourage ‘Healthy Eating Culture among Children’. The goal of this proposal is to provide generations of Children and teachers with healthy nutrition options and environmental education opportunities in green compounds with the objectives like enabling children to enjoy healthy diets and educate them about the protection of our environment.
Introduction of the Project
Fruits and vegetables play a crucial role in supporting your child’s growth and development. Besides, their adequate consumption is associated with reduced risk of major chronic diseases. It help provide several nutrients necessary for the rapid growth and development of children.
Fruits and vegetables benefit kids in many ways, including improved nutrition, decreased obesity risk and better school performance, but most children don’t get the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Only 22 percent of toddlers and preschoolers and only 16 percent of kids ages 6 to 11 meet the government’s recommendation, according to research. One-half of children’s mealtime plates should be filled with fruits and vegetables in order to reap the benefits.
Growing fruit with children offers a unique chance to teach them about the importance of healthy foods and nutrition. Whether the fruit-eaters are children, animals or impoverished neighbors — fruit trees take advantage of Mother Nature’s natural resources system…and deliver shade, soil conditioning, food for wildlife…and food for humans and our animals. And it lasts for decades! That’s a lot for one simple plant to gift us with.
An environmental program that was designed by ABC ORG as a means of conserving our environment with particular emphasis to schools and the communities around them. This program has among its components, issues that address health, water and sanitation, environmental awareness, tree planting with particular emphasis to multipurpose trees and species especially fruit trees for nutrition in schools.
Under this program, ABC ORGhas managed to establish 15 orchards in 15 schools in XXXXXX district with at least 50 fruit trees of different types. Also over 8,000 trees (for shades, firewood and ornamental purposes) have been planted in 10 schools around XXXXXX and in 5 communities. Environmental Awareness too has been and is being carried out in communities and schools.
Project Location: Eastern Uganda XXXXXX District
Target:
20 schools with an average of 850 children
Each school planting at least 100 fruit trees & 100 shade trees
Goal of the Project
To provide generations of Children and teachers with healthy nutrition options and environmental education opportunities in green compounds.
Objectives of the Project
- To enable children to enjoy healthy diets and to create a healthy eating culture within primary schools.
- To pass on environment education for protection of our environment.
- To provide good learning environments for children
Need and Purpose of the Program
There are many primary and secondary schools in XXXXXX district [day, boarding or both]. Many lack good compounds suitable for studying i.e. lack shade trees. Cooking and water heating in all these schools is done using firewood which is now scarce thus experience feeding problems. As a result, there has been massive deforestation and in many schools, expenditure on firewood accounts for 20-30% of the total school’s kitchen/boarding budget.
Pupils lack access to nutritional values derived from especially fruits which they sometimes only taste when at home during their holidays. From a study by ABC ORGin XXXXXX district on the intake of fruits by children, Low intakes of fruit and vegetables and of milk by primary schoolchildren were established. It was found out that a majority of children are deprived of the nutritional values from fruits. Most of it is taken to markets for sale.
This project will encourage more children to taste and enjoy more fruit and vegetables and thereby reap the long-term benefits of consuming at least five portions a day recommended for good health as both children and adults.
Tree planting is also a practical way of introducing and integrating Environmental Education in schools. Schools in different parts of the district can also be mobilized and trained fairly quickly, with minimal logistical/administrative cost implications.
The most appropriate and sustainable solution is to support and encourage schools to establish their own tree woodlots with emphasis on diversity in tree species, with a view to achieving self-sufficiency in firewood supply, improve on nutrition and make schools livable places adequate for study meanwhile make the difference in reversing environmental degradation in Uganda.
Planned Activities of the Project
- Fruit & Shades Tree planting – This shall involve teachers, parents and the pupils. Fruit Tree species will range from Mangoes, Avocadoes, and Jackfruits, Pawpaw, Passion fruits, Oranges and Guavas. These will be sourced from various breeders and distributed to schools.
- Children shall be taught how to raise trees and fruits and they shall be expected to do this at their respective homes, teach their parents and as a result there will be a multiplier effect.
- Demonstrations on Nursery Tree Establishments – children will be taught how to raise tree nurseries, care for trees and also simple techniques of breeding such as grafting plants for better quality breeds.
- Environment Awareness – This will help pupils learn about nutritional values from fruits, the value of planting trees and how to care for them in a sustainable manner. The need for environmental conservation shall be emphasized.
- Monitoring and Evaluation – Success of this project partly relies on efficient monitoring. Fruit trees planted shall be monitored by ABC ORG to ensure that they are growing well and are managed as earlier agreed up on.
Expected Benefits
- At these schools, the orchards will serve many purposes; as outdoor classrooms (we expect the orchards to last for decades, giving children the opportunity to receive environmental education that would not otherwise be available to them).
- When the trees start fruiting, children will gain nutritional values from the fruits the harvest to local food banks. Besides the harvest will benefit the hungry, poor, and needy people living in the school communities.
- Apart from getting fruits, these fruit trees can provide shades, add beauty to the school and also provide a source of income to the schools in times of excess fruiting.
- Children will be taught how to propagate seedlings and thus will be expected each to plant a fruit of their own choice at home and to encourage their parents and guardians to follow suit.
- Increased income as a result of nurseries being established and sell of seedlings together with less spending in homes on malnutrition sicknesses.
- Environment shall be conserved in the long run.
Methodology of Implementation
There shall be a tripartite partnership involving XYZ Agency, implementing agency and the Schools communities. The contribution of each partner will be as follows:
For Donor:
- Funding
- Publicity & awareness creation
- Use donor’s wide branch network as focal points for facilitating regular interactions
For implementing Agency
- Project design, planning & management
- Supply of high quality, fast growing fruit tree seedlings
- Technical support and oversight on tree planting and management
- Training of selected schools
- Monitor and evaluate
- Produce report and accountability to donor
For Schools Communities
A major advantage of working with schools in terms of tree planting is that they are permanent institutions with adequate land, labor (especially children), and management capacity from head teachers and teachers.
- Planting and maintaining of the trees
- Publicity and awareness creation
- Give reports to ABC ORG
Indicative budget estimates for the Project Approach Option Assumptions
- Project to start off in XXXXXX district covering both Urban and Rural schools (both Primary and Secondary shall be considered)
- 20 both primary and secondary schools to be selected for participation using defined criteria to be designed
- Each school to plant at least 100 fruit tree seedlings & 100 shade trees
- Projections
- Expect pupils to have fruits for pupils to improve on their nutrition
- Multiplier effect of the conservation knowledge to the wider communities
- Source of income to the schools through the sale of fruits
- The environment will be conserved.
Note:
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- The school communities will contribute in planting and maintenance of the sites.
- Communities will be trained in making organic paste and organic manure and this will be part of their contribution too.
