Resilience education by planting fruit trees, 1000 school orchards

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, and food for wildlife, food for humans as well as our animals.

And it lasts for decades! That's alot for one simple plant to gift us with. Green Dimensions Network has launched Green Schools Program (GSP), an environmental program that was designed by GDN to support Resilience education by planting fruit trees in 1000 schools (1000 school orchids). Therefore 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 multi-purpose trees and species especially fruit trees for nutrition in schools.

Target: Over 1000 schools each with an orchard of at least 200-300 trees

Overall goals:

To provide generations of Children and teachers with healthy nutrition options and environmental education opportunities in green compounds.

Objectives

i.To enable children to enjoy healthy diets and to create a healthy eating culture within primary

schools.

ii.To pass on environment education for protection of our environment.

iii.To provide good learning environments for children

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 GCK in Kenya on the intake of fruits by children, Low intakes of fruit and vegetables and of milk by primary school children was 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 give more opportortunities for 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 and Climate Change Resilience Education therefore creating a more climate resilient next generation. Schools in different parts of the district will also be stimulated to follow in this path making it a standard practice.

The project will be developed and implemented in partnership by EurAfrica Green Future and Green Dimensions Network.