We have been regularly posting details about the extraordinary and highly successful IEC and behavior change programmes we have been having in the government schools in Yadgir District.
And we continue to learn more and more as we proceed in this poorest District of Karnataka.
At one of our review meetings, our field team BAIF suggested we start a few kitchen gardens in the schools on a pilot basis. This had been requested by some teachers. Of course, we whole heartedly agreed.
It was also good to see that after the success of our high school and middle school programmes, the school authorities show a lot of confidence in our interventions.
So we started some very basic kitchen gardens with green leafy vegetables, some climbers like cucumbers and gourds, iron rich tomatoes and brinjals, in Government High School Malhar, Yadgir Taluk, Government High School Chatnalli, Shahpur Taluk, and Government Higher Primary School Aldal, Shorapur Taluk.
The Village Panchayat had already built rain water harvesting facilities in the Chatnalli school, and ICICI Foundation had provided it in the Aldal school. We are happy we were able to help the school with seeds, and the teachers and students were extremely enthused and excited to start the kitchen gardens.
Our field team have recently applied to the Taluk Panchayat for a rain water harvesting structure in Malhar Village also. We hope it is approved soon.
The seedlings were sown in August/September and we expect a fine harvest of vegetables by December.
We will keep you posted.
→ Nurseries and sprouted plants
School teachers and BAIF field team guiding students as to how to maintain the Kitchen
→ Rain Water Harvesting in Government High School, Aldal