School Garden in Sanzawa ADP

Motto Primary School in Sanzawa ADP has long emphasised “self-reliance” as a virtue, in a region of Tanzania that faces frequent food insecurity. Here, pupils learn practical farming skills and environmental stewardship alongside the formal curriculum. In 2012, World Vision provided vegetable and groundnut seeds to the school and gave trainings in horticulture and water-saving irrigation techniques. The pupils have taken to this enthusiastically, learning new, practical farming skills that they can take home to their families. Teacher Mr Joachim explains:

“The Children participate fully – we encourage them to practise what they have learned at their homes. Its very beneficial to the students – they get a chance to participate in live economic activities”.

Tomatoes and carrots add vital nutrients to the pupil’s lunchtime meal of maize porridge. The school has also started growing amaranths, a drought tolerant, green vegetable that is a rich source of vitamins and protein. In 2014, the school continued to develop the garden, planting a further ½ acre of Chinese cabbage and okra.

“Nowadays, our school pupils enjoy delicious, nutritious meals at school. Therefore they are healthy enough and able to concentrate more on their studies. And with such a trend, we are ambitious of raising our overall school academic performance” concludes the Head Teacher.

Besides education and improving the diet of pupils, the school garden provides a much needed source of income. Primary schools in rural Tanzania are often under-resourced, and although additional classrooms have been constructed by World Vision to accommodate increased enrolment, the pupil to teacher ratio is very high. Crops such as tomatoes fetch a good price at market, and the revenue has allowed the school to purchase materials and even increase staffing.

“We have an insufficient number of teachers in our school, but from the sale of tomatoes and peeled groundnuts we have been able to hire more support staff.  We really thank the ADP for opening our eyes ....It’s our wish that other schools will do the same”

This year, the sale of tomatoes, okra and Chinese cabbage from the school garden has helped the school support a number of orphans and vulnerable children in the community to attend school, providing them with exercise books, uniforms and other materials.  Motto Primary School has become a learning centre in Sanzawa, where teachers and parents from other schools come to learn about horticulture, tree nurseries and environmental conservation from the committed team of staff and pupils.