December 28, 2009

Children in two elementary schools in Nueva Ecija are learning to create
mini-greenhouses in lessons that go beyond the classroom and into creating
energized communities that work together in addressing hunger and lack of
livelihood opportunities in the province.

Students in Manicla Elementary School and Kaliwanagan Elementary School
worked side by side with teachers, parents, barangay (village) and
municipal officials, with the support of East West Seed Co., Inc.,
Synergeia Foundation, and the local government in San Jose, Nueva Ecija.

The project, called "Tanim sa Kinabukasan" (Plants for the Future), is the
first of its kind in the area at a time food security and climate change
have become big issues in the wake of Typhoons Ondoy and Parma.

The local government has scheduled the launching of the project on Jan 12,
2010 in Kaliwanagan Elementary School. Dr. Milwida Guevara, Synergeia
Foundation president and chief executive officer, East West General
Manager Mary Ann Sayoc, and Mayor Marivic Belena will sign the Memorandum
of Agreement.

The project is an experiential way for children to learn plant science
i.e. parts of a seed, seed-plant cycle, standard planting seasons of
common vegetables, and natural techniques of growing healthy plants.
Children will have deeper understanding of ecology, health, and
environmental consciousness, as a result of their experiences.

Organizers also hope that backyard gardening, even in small spaces, will
deeply ingrain in the children and their families the values of
self-sufficiency, responsibility, patience, discipline, and better
nutrition. Since they planted and will grow the vegetables they will
harvest, the school children are expected to love eating them!

Tanim sa Kinabukasan is also expected to improve school performance, since
a common problem that results to poor reading and math scores in the
Philippines is that children come to school hungry or unable to eat
nutritious food.

East West has committed to donate P1 for every pouch of seeds they sell to
the project and the municipal office will provide administrative and
financial support. Students will record their experiences and observations
as they watch their plants grow. There will be inter-school competitions
for best vegetable garden, a harvest festival where the whole community
participates and the children will sell their produce.