. ’ Pres entation to Ms Hes e lgrave s Clas s , . 20, 2010Lazo School Oct

Fertile Ground: East/West Sustainability Network

Fertile Ground

CANADA

AFRICA

INDIA

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ORGANIC FARMING IN ASSAM

SPRAYING PESTICIDES ON TEA

NOW PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO USE PESTICIDES ON THEIR VEGETABLES!

Fertile Ground made a Resource Centre and Classroom in Assam

Demonstrating how to make compost

Last year, we started the“Kids to Kids” Project

4 Kidsfrom the Comox Valley

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Queneesh School

Why did we start this project?

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WHY DID WE START THIS PROJECT?

We wanted to help the kids living in villages in Assam

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WHY do the kids there need our help?

The people in the villages don’t have a lot of money to build schools

Some of the schools don’t have desks or blackboards, and the kids’ families can’t afford to buy school supplies

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How did we raise money?J

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HERE’S HOW THE MONEY HELPED KIDS IN ASSAM

This is Pompy….

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Last year, she visited a village a long way from the resource centre, and learned about the people who were living there.

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The people used to live in villages on the shores of the Brahmaputra River. They had move to the Sadiya area because floods destroyed their homes and their land.

Burma

SADIYAINDIA

•most eastern corner of Assam

•foothills of the Himalayan mountains•no road access

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Many of the dads have to work a long way from home to make money for their families.

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100 rupees per day

The soil is really sandy and they don’t have enough water to water their gardens

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The teacher asked us if we could help them buy some• school supplies• soccer ball• playground equipment

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a new project this year….

making Community Gardens at village schools– a place where children and families living in Sadiya can learn

how to improve the sandy soil and grow healthy food

GARDEN

PROJECT GOALS Teach people how to

– take care of the soil– grow vegetables organicallyso they have healthy food to feed their families

Let people know people that pesticides can make people sick and harm the environment

Help some of the families in the village earn money by growing and selling vegetables

Make sure families have the information they need so they don’t take out loans that they can’t manage

WHAT THINGS WILL FERTILE GROUND DO TO MAKE THIS

PROJECT WORK?

?

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We’ll be working with people from 5 small villages to build community gardens next to the local elementary schools.

People of all ages, including the kids, will work with a group of volunteers from Canada to make these gardens

CLASSROOM SUPPLIES

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Pompy will teach people

- how to improve their soil

- how to stop insect pests from damaging their crops without spraying them with pesticides.

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Stem borer in eggplant

Stem borer in eggplant

HERE ARE TWO WAYS TO CATCH MOTHS BEFORE THEY LAY EGGS ON THE PLANTS

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The teacher and parents can use vegetables from the garden to make healthy school lunches for the kids.

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We’ll continue raising money for more school supplies, books, posters and

things that make learning FUN.

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Build outhouses

at each school

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But what about the playground at the school that the teacher asked us to help them build?

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We can use local materials like bamboo and also recycled materials like

rubber tires

• a metal teeter-totter will cost about $95

• a metal swing set will cost about $125

What can YOU do?

1. Ask us questions about children living in Assam.2. Write letters or draw pictures that we can send to

the kids there.3. Think about whether your class would like to raise

money for some special project in Assam.

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Thanks very much for inviting us to visit your class

today!