Emmanuel's Life Changed through the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme!

Emmanuel Kimonyo is the school gardener at G.S Rutunga. He studied at the same school in 1976 and left to work in a sugar factory. He later quit his job to go back to school to pursue a course in Agriculture. His passion for agricultural activities led him to start his self-employment ventures until he returned to his former school as a school gardener.  

As the school gets ready for Agriculture Season A, Emmanuel is preparing the nurseries with amaranths, swiss chard, and green peppers that will be ready for transplanting in the next 2 weeks. Preparations are also underway for radish and nightshade as they tend to grow faster when it rains.

Emmanuel also helped to establish the nursery bed at the school from which they’ve grown and sustained vegetables for the students during the harsh dry season. He fertilizes the school gardens using organic manure and irrigates every day. In cases where he anticipates a shortage of water, he closes the tank to preserve the water for irrigation.

Emmanuel’s daily routine begins with irrigating the nurseries at 5:00 am. When the school is running water, the students also support them by carrying 3 - 5 liters of water as part of their extracurricular activities.  When asked about the impact of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme on his understanding of nutrition, Emmanuel says,

“I eat vegetables as I plant them. I learned the One-Pot One-Hour technique and it has been my go-to style for cooking a healthy meal for my family.”

Emmanuel also shares that since each ingredient has its own turn and timing, it makes it easy to prepare.