Giving Tuesday & Our new School Garden Project

By Josephine De Freitas

A novel project is leading the way for schools in Uganda to improve the nutrition of pupils and boost their ability to read.

The Rose Charities school garden project, funded by the Hillman Medical Education Fund teaches children how to grow vegetables but also supplies produce for lunch programs to feed children who come to school hungry.

Two of the items grown: orange sweet potatoes and green beans are especially nutritious and help students meet daily requirements of vitamins. The orange flesh of the sweet potato is rich in Vitamin A which prevents blindness and is essential to fight infections and green beans are rich in iron.

Together, these two crops help children who have micronutrient deficiencies because they do not get enough to eat. As a result, not only do they become healthier but they learn to read faster.

32% of children under 5 in Uganda are Vitamin A deficient. The World Health Organization now endorses school programs such as ours as a way to help undernourished children worldwide, and has said “Cultivating the garden, both literally and figuratively,” is the way to go.

This new school garden project is a part of our #RoseGrows campaign to encourage community gardens that teach crop growing, business skills and nutrition.

If you would like to support this project, please click on the link below and select Hillman Medical Education Fund at the top of the page. Thank-you for your support!!