By Ritah Mukasa
At Awali Primary School, learners are guaranteed a meal thanks to the school feeding programme that has been running for four years.
The Church founded school is located in Odek sub-county in Omoro district, Northern Uganda.
Alex Ocaya, the headmaster says they have more than five acres of land and the school garden occupies two acres.
All pupils are actively involved in gardening which is a co-curricular activity and is timetabled.
They grow maize, beans and trees. On who does what; Ocaya says, the learners are grouped to ensure they all participate following a schedule.
They plant, water, weed and harvest under the supervision of the gardening club patron, Norbert Ojok who also teaches English and Science in the upper classes.
Meanwhile, Ocaya points out that they started this garden after parents failed to provide food for their children.
“We held several meetings with parents and they promised to send us maize and firewood to prepare porridge but they did not fulfil,” he says adding that; “We struggled to keep hungry children in school. The dropout rate rose and this forced us to think out of the box.”
Ever since they started growing their own food, Ocaya says the enrolment and performance have improved. Ojok is quick to add that, the garden also enabled them to open a boarding section for primary seven candidates owing to food security.
He thanks the chairperson of the school management committee for the support.
He always hires them a tractor to save the children from tilling the land.
Elsewhere, over 150 pupils from this school have participated in SAVE OUR PLANET competition run by New Vision and Save the children, an organization that saves and cares for children around the world. The campaign aims to sensitize the public on climate change causes, mitigation and adaptation.
Morris Okello, the teacher in charge of the Newspapers in Education (NIE) programme says, ever since the learners read about the competition in TOTO magazine, they became restless. They started drawing pictures and writing poems that promote environmental conservation and many have won prizes.
“I am now supporting them to implement what they wrote. Some have planted trees and others are keeping the school clean,” Okello says.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Alex Ocaya, the head teacher supervising the learners while in the garden. Photos by Ritah mukasa
