60 percent of Bolivia's total population is of indigenous ancestry.

School Garden Project - Betania

Update: November 2009

Another academic year has come to a close in the rural village of Betania. But unlike other years, the small school ended this term with its very first School Fair! The major themes displayed at the fair included water, hygiene, garbage, and nutrition.

The students worked throughout the month of November transforming plastic soda bottles into flowers and Christmas trees, changing sugarcane stems into gates and pathways, and making their school garden a learning area to show the benefits of a garden and how to organically harvest and reuse seeds. And so on November 21st, the students of Betania transformed into teachers in their community. Some kids starred in puppet shows ...others led tours and gave small lectures....while others conducted small experiments.

Etta Projects staff has been to a number of school fairs recently. We concluded that the Betania School Fair was not the biggest...nor did it have the most arts and crafts or games. But something was distinctly special about this fair. Generally, in Betania there is little opportunity for families to connect with their children's education. About 80 % of the adults in this community did not attend school past the 5th grade. Hence, education is rarely promoted and hardly ever celebrated. However, with the children leading the way at the school fair...in their own Guarani tongue.... with pictures and theater....with fun and games.....all people, young and old, connected to the activities at the school and learned from the inspiration of the children.

I will never forget the proud faces on the children, parents,and grandparents as they listened to their children teach the whole community how to make positive change.

Next year, Etta Projects hopes to build on the experiences from the School Garden Project by including Betania in its upcoming Healthy School Teaching about composting project.

Update: September 2009

In September the children in Betania finished their health & sanitation educational activities and later participated in four nutrition classes. The students practiced using produce from their garden to cook low-cost, healthy meals. They learned how to make a variety of salads, soups, and chichas (a common Bolivian drink made from beans). By using almost all local ingredients (veggies from the garden, beans from community fields and other items from the community (eggs, yucca, potatoes, etc)), the project was able to feed a balanced lunch to over 70 people for about $4 to $5 a session.

The teachers and children also spent the last month preparing the garden for the second harvest of the year. One of our main goals is to put into place functional systems that motivate the children to continue taking care of their school garden throughout the 3-month summer vacation. The teachers do not live in the village so it is up to the children to keep the project sustainable! The children have formed groups and organized a schedule, and have already started to implement the routine. We are also urging the school board to get involved with the school garden project by supervising the project over the break.

To date, the small school has earned almost $100 from sales from the garden that will directly benefit the sustainability of the garden and educational resources for the school. With this funding, the school purchased the water faucet for the school, giving the school water for the first time.

Plans for next year are in full swing! We have learned a lot about the local market within the community of Betania and are now developing other projects that will continue to teach students skills while also generating resources for the school. The teachers are advocating to start selling bread and chicha in the morning to local families. The equipment for the small bakery would be given to the school as a microloan.

Etta Projects also aims to augment the school garden project with a healthy school project. We will utilize the lessons learned from the school garden project to implement proactive community campaigns focused on health, hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition. The focus of a healthy school project is to train teachers and community leaders how to transform the school into a healthy, sanitary environment.

We are currently seeking support that will directly fund both the school bakery project and the healthy school project in Betania. If you would like to help Betania continue to prosper, please click on the donation button. For more information, please call 360-876-7487 or send us an email at pennyelw@ettaprojects.org.

Update: August 2009

The school garden is in full swing; each time Etta Projects' staff arrive to the rural community there are new vegetables sprouting. The teachers and students have established a system to care for the school garden and to track all income earned through produce sales. To date the garden project has earned over $50 U.S dollars which will be put towards new resources for the school!

Over the last few months two Health & Hygiene Facilitators have worked with the teachers and students in issues related hygiene, water, the environment and sanitation. Etta Projects will complete these sessions at the end of the month and will then begin working with the children in nutrition classes. Etta Projects has contracted a local woman from the Comedor de Niños in Montero (see Past Projects for more information) to facilitate the nutrition class. The community is eager to learn affordable recipes and introduce vegetables into their diets. Etta Project is eager to create improved long-term dietary habits in this community. The nutrition component of this project will also connect with the school breakfast program to ensure that all children are given the necessary nutrients to increase energy and become more attentive during class.

Betania's school garden has gained the attention of nearby communities, many of which have approached Etta projects in hopes to implement a similar project in their community. If you would like to donate towards a project that will improve nutrition and education in a rural community, please visit our donation page.