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Growing fruit with children offers a unique chance to teach them about the importance of healthy foods and nutrition. Whether the fruit-eaters are children, animals or impoverished neighbors -- fruit trees take advantage of Mother Nature's natural resources system...and deliver shade, soil conditioning, food for wildlife...and food for humans and our animals. And it lasts for decades! That's a lot for one simple plant to gift us with. Green Schools Program (GSP): This is an environmental program that was designed by Alpha Step Organization ASO as a means of conserving our environment with particular emphasis to schools and the communities around them. This program has among its components, issues that address health, water and sanitation, environmental awareness, tree planting with particular emphasis to multi purpose trees and species especially fruit trees for nutrition in schools. Under this program, ASO has managed to establish 10 orchards in 10 schools in the Ho district with at least 50 fruit trees of different types. Also over 8,000 trees (for shades, firewood and ornamental purposes) have been planted so far in 16 schools around Ho and 5 other communities. Environmental Awareness too has been and is being carried out in communities and schools. As such, the Fruits for Nutrition in Schools (FSS) project shall be a component under the Green Schools Program.
Planned Activities under the FNS project:
1. Plant over 10,000 Fruit & Shades Tree 20 schools: This shall involve teachers, parents and the pupils. Fruit Tree species will range from Mangoes, Avocadoes, and Oranges, Pawpaw, Passion fruits, Oranges and Guavas. These will be sourced from various breeders and distributed to schools. Children shall be taught how to raise trees and fruits and they shall be expected to do this at their respective homes, teach their parents and as a result there will be a multiplier effect.
2. Establish a nursery demonstrations site for the trees: children will be taught how to raise tree seedlings, care for trees and also simple techniques of breeding such as grafting plants for better quality breeds.
3.Organize environmental Awareness programmes is schools and communities: This will help pupils learn about nutritional values from fruits, the value of planting trees and how to care for them in a sustainable manner. The need for environmental conservation shall be emphasized.