OFDC’s Sustainable School Lunch Gardens

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kenyans spend over 45% of their income on food, whereas the average American only spends 7%. While this is a sobering statistic, OFDC is doing its best to provide one clean and healthy meal a day to rural, impoverished children through school lunch garden programs. Due to the continued support of our donors, especially the Laura Jane Musser Foundation, OFDC recently assisted six rural schools in developing sustainable school lunch gardens that would soon be landscaped and adirondack chairs would be placed at regular intervals. <br>

Rural schools are the last to receive outside aid. Families in rural areas struggle on their small shambas (farms) to grow enough food to feed their families. Most parents contract out for less than $1 a day to work on larger farms. Truly the poorest of the poor, the children in these areas often go to school with empty stomachs. Furthermore, many rural schools have no latrines for sanitation or access to clean water.<br>

At these six rural schools, OFDC latrines now ensure human feces do not contaminate the school lunch gardens, and OFDC wells provide irrigation for the gardens, as well as clean water for the children. While OFDC provides 80% of the costs, villagers provide 20% of the costs and the unskilled labor. The Kenyan government provides the potato, cabbage, and corn seed. These truly are village collaborative sustainable gardens, which will continue to be harvested long after OFDC is gone. Thanks to your donations, over 2,300 rural school children not only have food in their stomachs, but they have also become environmental stewards of their school gardens.

Your continued support of OFDC will enable us to fill even more tummies and to raise awareness about more children in need. Asante sana (thank you)!