Teaching for impact: PTA leader Jean bridges school gardens to communities

Gardens for Health, in partnership with the UN World Food Programme, is striving to provide access to balanced nutrition to all children. Our agriculture, health, and nutrition trainings at schools across Rwanda provide important tools for sustainable sources of nutritious veggies .

“My work is important in connecting the school with the community,” reflects cell leader and Parent Teacher Association president Jean. “I’m charged with ensuring that the entire community understands how to compose a healthy diet; I bridge the gap between the school gardens here, and the parents who are unaware of the importance of nutrition out in the community.” 

As a school and local leader, Jean facilitates nutrition and agriculture education for students, school garden establishment, and parent trainings. “My sector has a high rate of malnutrition and stunting. Connecting the school with the community is crucial, because I believe that if we want to tackle malnutrition in this community, we have to put our best foot forward. I can’t do it alone. The kitchen gardens are an important tool in teaching the community the importance of vegetables.” 

In Jean’s experience, children are a key component to spreading community health messages. “They are so enthusiastic! Students love learning about topics that impact them directly. But they’re also extremely competitive; each child who establishes a home garden or learns about a nutrition topic is always striving to be one step ahead of her classmate!”

“As a cell leader, I often visit homes and see the progress households have made in building their own gardens. Thanks to key agriculture and nutrition lessons at schools, parents who are receptive to their kids’ teachings have taken steps toward halting malnutrition. They create kitchen gardens, eat balanced meals, and have good hygiene habits.” 

While Jean jokes that he’s “not a teacher in the traditional sense,” he still has the drive of an educator. “There’s this saying, ‘kwigisha ni uguhoza ho,’ or ‘to see impact, you must keep teaching.’ There is no tiring in education; it’s an everyday job. And I do think that one day malnutrition will be eradicated.”

Story and photos by Jessica Wright.