SPONSOR 50 ORPHANS IN PAKISTAN

Young Farmers Program – Roshni Homes Trust 2021

The Green Revolution happened in Pakistan in the 1960s and given the current population explosion and rising food insecurity in the country we are due for another revolution. It has become imperative that small patches of unused land be converted to kitchen gardens that will relieve the burden on an already stressed supply chain.

Learning from the experiences during the pandemic when the supply chains of essential food items was disrupted, Roshni Homes Trust ventured towards forming a mid-sized vegetable garden for consumption in our own kitchens and along with it launch the Young Farmers Program where the orphan children residing there are involved in all aspects of the vegetable garden. This program also engages the community and teaches them ways to create small herb & kitchen gardens in their own backyards with limited resources.

Young Farmers Program has the following objectives:

Short term goals:

1. To be self-sufficient in managing in-house kitchen.

2. To be able to grow fruits & vegetables on our own.

3. To sell grown goods to local market targeting the valuable items.

Long term goals:

1. To become an agriculture research centre in the long run with an aim of exports.

2. To provide jobs opportunities to local farmers/ gardeners/ other relevant resources.

3. To strengthen community engagement.

Our Young Farmers

Children love nearly anything pertaining to the great outdoors. They love digging in the dirt, creating yummy treats, and playing in trees. Children are curious by nature, and there is no greater joy than that from a child who has cultivated plants from his or her own vegetable garden.

The children at Roshni Homes Trust can learn new skills, have fun, play and develop self-confidence by spending time in the garden tending plants and growing their own food. Most children enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, and watching plants grow.

Gardening is educational and develops new skills including:

• Responsibility– from caring for plants.
• Understanding– as they learn about cause and effect (e.g., plants die without water)
• Self-confidence – from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown.
• Love of nature – a chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place.
• Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction.
• Physical activity – doing something fun and productive.
• Cooperation– including shared play activity and teamwork.
• Creativity– finding new and exciting ways to grow food.
• Nutrition – learning about where fresh food comes from.

 The children at Roshni Homes Trust have taken great interest in the program and the they undertake the following activities:

• Watering the garden.
• Digging.
• Picking flowers.
• Planting vegetables, fruits and flowers in the correct season.
• Picking vegetables and fruits when they are ready to eat.
• Preparing healthy food from the produce.
• Organic composting, recycling and mulching.
• Weeding.
• Gathering seeds and dried flowers.
• Preparing the soil with organic fertiliser.
• Replanting and re-potting.

The Young Farmers Program has been a great success this year. This success will grow exponentially as we take on new partners in the related fields, take field trips to working farms and have training workshops for the children and the staff.