Following the success of the first Foundations for Farming workshop in Zimbabwe, CITW Zambezi rolled out the programme to five of our Zambian partner schools and their surrounding communities.
The week was packed with successful workshops in each of the school gardens, with some 327 people attending the farming training. These people included teachers, Eco-Mentors, Eco-Club members and individuals from the surrounding communities who had an interest in making change through agricultural output.
The one-day Foundations for Farming workshop programme was met with great enthusiasm from these Zambian schools and communities, with lively participation from the students, Eco-Mentors, teachers and community members. Community members and students alike were eager to absorb all the information shared by the training staff, and were heard marvelling at the simplicity of the lessons.
Two sessions were held at each school, and covered all four principles of the foundations for farming. The first stages of the training took part in a classroom setup where the participants took notes and asked questions. Following this, everyone moved into the school gardens for the practical training aspect of the workshop. Each school was provided with participant manuals to assist individuals when practising organic farming, as well as two trainers’ manuals for the CITW Eco-Mentors to utilise throughout the school year.
During the workshop at Mwandi Primary School, the attendees informed CITW’s Dominic about a blocked pipe, resulting in their being unable to access water. We are so pleased that Dom, with the assistance of Mr Sibela Matakala, the Akando (Traditional leader) for Mwandi, tracked the whole system and managed to unblock the pipe. The teachers at the school once again have access to tap water in order to put into practice the Foundations for Farming theory they received.
By Dominic Nyathi, CITW Zambezi Education – School and Communities
