School Farms
The Need for Sustainable Farming
For sustenance farmers in Uganda, tuition fees are a serious investment that parents or guardians often struggle to provide. When parents learn that their school fees cover tuition and daily lunches, their decision to send their child to school is easier, and everyone in the family benefits. Global Village Connect has a history of developing school farms that have dramatically improved school attendance and completion rates, as well as the overall nutrition for thousands of children in Uganda.
Pictured Above: Students of Buyanga Primary learning how to farm
Our Impact: The Buyanga Primary School Farm Project
The Buyanga Primary School Farm Project grows food to feed vulnerable children lunch at a rural school in eastern Uganda.
We began the farm with 1 acre of 550 Banana tree saplings. In 2½ years, the farm has grown to 9 acres with corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. Throughout the process of developing the farm, the school places special emphasis on teaching the kids best farming practices.
When we began the farm in 2016, the school had about 450 students (ages 6-16), many of which came to school hungry and malnourished. Once the school started to serve lunch, the number of students grew to over 1,000. That's over 1000 lunches every day! Feeding students incentivizes parents to send their children to school, rather than sending them to work in the fields. Not only are more children attending school, but more are graduating and moving on to secondary school.
We began the farm with 1 acre of 550 Banana tree saplings. In 2½ years, the farm has grown to 9 acres with corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. Throughout the process of developing the farm, the school places special emphasis on teaching the kids best farming practices.
When we began the farm in 2016, the school had about 450 students (ages 6-16), many of which came to school hungry and malnourished. Once the school started to serve lunch, the number of students grew to over 1,000. That's over 1000 lunches every day! Feeding students incentivizes parents to send their children to school, rather than sending them to work in the fields. Not only are more children attending school, but more are graduating and moving on to secondary school.
"Uganda is blessed with good soil, and most families own and farm the land on which their home sits. However, most families have limited farming experience and knowledge. While we teach the kids how to farm, they go home and teach their parents." says the headmaster.
Pictured Above: Buppala Primary Student Learning about Agriculture
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Best farming practices
Each student is learning sustainable planting and harvesting practices as they help tend the crops. Work is on-going with soil bands and irrigation channels to prevent soil erosion. This education results in increased yields as new practices replace fragile and resource-intensive traditional farming methods. Best of all, they bring home this knowledge and share with their families to teach everybody in the community best farming practices. While we continue to support the school with funds, we are helping them gradually move to self-sustainability, by requiring them to plant a portion of the acreage with plants that can be sold for profit. Donate School Lunch |
Tikkun Olam Primary School Lunch and Farm Project in partnership with the Minneapolis Jewish Federation
Tikkun Olam Primary School serves the members of one of Uganda’s most established Jewish communities while welcoming children of all faiths in their classrooms. It is a partnership between Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Global Village Connect and Tikkun Olam Primary School. Our goal is to develop a school farm over the next 5 years in order to provide food security that will endure for many years. We are building a kitchen to ensure that nutritious meals are properly prepared and delivered each day students attend school. Additionally, this partnership will support current and future Jewish students through scholarships so that all Jewish children have access to an education, regardless of economic circumstances.
Tikkun Olam Primary School serves the members of one of Uganda’s most established Jewish communities while welcoming children of all faiths in their classrooms. It is a partnership between Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Global Village Connect and Tikkun Olam Primary School. Our goal is to develop a school farm over the next 5 years in order to provide food security that will endure for many years. We are building a kitchen to ensure that nutritious meals are properly prepared and delivered each day students attend school. Additionally, this partnership will support current and future Jewish students through scholarships so that all Jewish children have access to an education, regardless of economic circumstances.
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Thank you to the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Women's Endowment Fund for their generous grant in helping Tikkun Olam Primary School with food security.
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How You Can Help
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School Lunch Project
Buppala Primary School is a great example of the impact you can make by planting a tree or buying a basket of seeds. We’re now partnering with Buyanga Primary School to feed 1000 students lunch each and every school day!
Help a student eat lunch For $50, you can help a child eat school lunch every day for an entire year. Donate School Lunch |
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Connect With a School
Help raise funds for kids to eat lunch at a school in a developing country. We offer a full suite of learning materials and fund-raising ideas for participating teachers. Learn more.
A school pen pal project It started in 2009 with a pen pal project organized by Global Village Connect and sixth grade teacher Jodi Sabra, now one of our board members. Kids at Radnor Middle School in Radnor, Pennsylvania, started writing letters to kids at Buppala Primary School. The pen pal relationships ignited ideas for change. First a latrine, then a school lunch program followed by the garden and the exporting of produce. Read more about Radnor’s pen pal program » |
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Learn More About Global Village Connect
Global Village Connect connects classrooms and communities by developing practical solutions that improve health, education and economic opportunity through sustainable micro-enterprise.
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