22 Nov Creating a sustainable, healthier and more fruitful future!

One of the pillars of our 5-pillar model for sustainable education is the Agriculture and Food pillar which is an integral program in all of our schools. Students from many of our communities in the Maasai Mara, in Kenya have been active and instrumental in this pillar of sustainability, and have helped their school literally “blossom” by tending to their community gardens, and they’re eager to begin harvesting healthy meals!

Dozens of students attend after-school Agriculture clubs and workshops to learn more about healthy habits of food and nutrition, and then spread this knowledge to their family, friends and larger community. At each of our schools, students learn about the importance of a balanced diet, and the benefits of different types of produce they grow.

Recently at the Pimbiniet Primary school, teachers challenged the Grade 7th and 8th students to write essays about how they’re “being the change” at home. Several students discussed how they had shared nutrition information with their families, influencing what they ate at home. In his essay, Tombo tells us about her home in Pimbiniet: “The people in this community are hard-working, growing crops and also keeping livestock. They face a lack of electricity, social amenities and good infrastructure. This is a challenge, but I’m hoping to continue my education and help improve [their lives].” To combat these issues that threaten food security, Tombo and her classmates have planted fruit trees at Pimbiniet to help cure health problems that arise because of poor diets.

Another student, Nalia has similarly been planting avocado trees in her community. “I knew we needed [the trees] within our community because many innocent children have been suffering from malnutrition.” Nalia is spreading the importance of food security throughout her community, as they have struggled with it before. “In our community we have resources like sandy soil, dairy cows, and a large and accommodative wildlife game reserve called the Maasai Mara. However, there are several challenges in my community. There are insufficient means of transport, inadequate water supplies, poor communication networks and shortage of pasture for livestock.” Many Kenyan communities experience harsh conditions and lack of access to resources, and the nutrition program addresses these issues. All of the students at Pimbiniet believe that education is the key to better nutrition in their communities.

As well as providing information, the agriculture and food pillar of our 5-pillar model of sustainable education ensures that all students receive a warm and healthy lunch everyday at school. This past term, 27 bags of maize and six bags of beans were distributed to Pimbiniet’s primary school, which were used to help feed the hungry students. The meal students receive from the school has a huge impact; students are energized and full, and more able to focus in the classroom. It has also influenced attendance rates, since students are more motivated to go to class if they know they will have a lunch to fuel them. These lunches are protein-heavy and very healthy, which means students will not be distracted at school by hunger pains!

The communities in Kenya have made huge strides towards a healthier and more fruitful future, and will only continue to improve as the nutrition, agriculture and food pillars of our 5-pillar model for sustainable education continues to flourish.

With love and appreciation,

Cynthia Kersey

Bestselling author, “Unstoppable”
www.unstoppable.net
Chief Humanitarian Officer
Unstoppable Foundation
www.UnstoppableFoundation.org