Moshi, TZ – Grow-own-Breakfast (GoB) and toilet block repair assist children’s health at Ginja Primary School – May 2024

A Tupendane team of retired members and current management has been volunteering to build up a new Grow-own-Breakfast program at Ginja primary School. Since last year when they started the program, more than 350 children have been benefiting from the knowledge sharing about organic vegetable and banana growing practices.

During this year’s rainy season the amount of health benefits has been higher because the production of vegetables has been stable due to sufficient rain water for growing. This has sometimes raised the amount of the harvested kilograms of vegetables to more than the daily consumption needs, so some amount needs to be taken to market.

Better Lives has been supporting Tupendane management’s role in this program, and after hearing about the above achievements is contributing to the toilet block repairs. A collaboration between Better Lives and parents of Ginja students is being negotiated by Tupendane Mangement for repairing the Ginja Primary School’s decaying toilet foundation. Now that the GoB garden is feeding teachers and 350 children, it is key to protecting their health to ensure the sanitation envinronment is also taken care of.

Ginja School’s dream is to overcome existing challenges, and create a sustainable program that will assist healthier children to have a better education so that they can better contribute to their future society.

Both Tupendane and the Ginja community are very happy with the new continously harvested garden and repairing the toilet facility. The school, Tupendane and Better Lives are now prioritizing more work to be accomplished at the school when budgets are available, because the school is facing a number of major challenges. One is lack of a proper water system for garden irrigation that is needed for a smooth year round production of both vegetables and bananas. Also there is a need to find reliable markets for any excess vegetable and banana production.

School - TZ Ginja Primary