Students at St. John Vianney and two other Belize City primary schools are learning how to grow their own food.
It is called the garden-in-schools project - which Police started two years ago in Belmopan with three primary schools. Now, the project has gotten support form the Ministry of Agriculture and the Taiwanese Embassy to fund programs at St. John Vianney, St. Martin De Porres and St. Luke Methodist school.
Today we were at the launch of the Vianney program and found it already underway with some eager young farmers. Chief Education Officer Dr. Carol Babb explained the national scope:..
Sr. Sup. Howell Gillett- Eastern Division South
"We must address some of the obstacles affecting young people or hindering young people from reaching or becoming positive adults. So, one of them is hunger. When a child is hungry he or she cannot concentrate well and learn well and it might become a police problem in the future. So, even before it reaches to that stage, we want to help as much as we could."
Dr. Carol Babb- Chief Education Officer
"We introduce school gardening to twelve schools and it is the intention of the Ministry of Education to expand school feeding and school gardens in every school. We are working to ensure every school has a small garden to ensure that children have access to fresh vegetables and some fruits. Every school will have a school garden and will serve nutritious meals. We are going to get rid of unhealthy snacks."
Ciaran Whitelaw- Student Gardener
"When break and play we can go back there and water the plants. They teach us how to do composting and how to put in the fertilizer and cover it well and do not compact it so that it can sprout."
Felix Sutherland- Principal, St. John Vianney
"Not only do we produce fruits and vegetables but we are also improving the aesthetics of the place. And this is not a one off thing. We hope that the greater good of this program is the transfer of knowledge. They will take this information from school and they would take it to their homes."
Reporter
"What has been the reception of your students to this project?"
Felix Sutherland
"It is one of extreme joy. As a matter of fact, we would have to say to them, 'it is time for you to go,' because initially they wanted to stay there and watch the plant grow."
Raheem Encalada- Student Gardener
"I feel happy miss because the cilantro, we see it growing now, miss. The cucumber and the sweet-pepper are not growing yet. Only the leaf is growing and the stem."
Reporter
"What has this thought you?"
Raheem Encalada
"If I grow up and I am working somewhere and they fire me I can always think about how to farm and how to use it for a job and I could make money off of it."
Sr. Sup. Howell Gillett
"It is so meaningful and I believe we want fewer criminals in our society but we have to start at the area where the young person could become a criminal and remove those hindrances, those obstacles, those hurdles away from them."
Email
Print