The Sabina Permaculture Garden at the heart of school and community life.

Contributed by Prue Gill, a great friend of the teachers and children at Sabina Primary Boarding School. Prue's experience is as an elementary, secondary, and tertiary teacher in Australia, and as a Board Member of the Stephanie Alexander Foundation, which brings Kitchen Garden Programs into Australian primary schools. Prue's passion for teaching and teachers, for children, and for gardening and good food, have intersected at Sabina. We thank you Prue, and can't wait to see you again soon in Uganda!

"Recently I had the good fortune to return to Sabina Boarding School to spend some time with teachers talking about the implementation of the Permaculture Curriculum that a group of teachers at the school have devised. This curriculum is aimed particularly for children in Primary years 4, 5 and 6, but it will influence what happens in all classes at the school, and in the kitchen of the home.

The aim of the curriculum is to balance the good work that has been done at Sabina on developing the academic side of school learning, with an equal emphasis on developing valuable vocational and life skills for the children. The hope is that every child who comes to this school will be able to live a meaningful life, and produce food, even in the absence of ‘professional employment’.

We also aim to share the benefits of the garden with the whole school community, including the families and guardians of children who attend the school. We want to produce a varied array of fruits and vegetables for all to share, to spread skills and love for permaculture principles and ethics, and also to use the garden as a site for hands on learning across the academic disciplines. Much of the valuable work in producing food for the kitchen is now being done by children, led of course by the wonderful James Kalokola and Anna Kisakye Nakibinge, the students of the Permaculture Club and the class teachers.

It is inspiring to see how teachers at the school have embraced the garden, appreciating its beauty as well as its productivity. In the time that I was there, we explored the opportunities a garden creates to think imaginatively about teaching and learning, and we came up with a concept that places the garden at the heart of the education offered by Sabina school.

Using the beautiful garden as central to learning, we talked of it as the basis for:

· Educating children in life skills – useful knowledge

· Food and water security – leading to healthy communities

· Educating children to shape their future – democratic citizenship

· Global responsibility and sustainability – caring for our planet

· Disciplinary and academic development - including literacy and numeracy and the skills required to perform well in national testing, as well as science, agriculture, the arts, the humanities

· Thematic and interdisciplinary learning – including problem solving and integration of theory and practice

· Opportunities for children with a range of learning styles – hands on learning, co-operative learning, differentiated tasks

· Improved diet and well being of children - hence optimising potential to learn

· Building positive links with the community through opportunities for sharing produce, running short courses for parents and guardians, inviting others in – including local and district schools

Teachers are now working on the many ways they will integrate permaculture and national curriculums. Think for example of the ‘problem’ of the chickens. The home has 70 hens which are laying about 60 eggs a day. Children are given an egg a week, other eggs are used in the kitchen, and surplus eggs are being sold in the village of Ssanje. This earns a little money that is put back into the garden. But chicken food is expensive, and we need to know whether our chicken project is cost effective? Here is a research question that can be given to senior primary students to work on together.Such research would involve counting eggs, developing a system of record keeping, drawing graphs, costing the regular expenses of chickens, charting the income from eggs, even ‘accounting’ in some way for the improved well being of children. It could require a written report at the end, maybe with illustrations.

The audience for the report would be diverse - James as manager of the FWS project, Margaret Kasekende as CEO of Children of Uganda, perhaps even the Children of Uganda Board. Such a research project would offer opportunity for learners of all kinds to draw some conclusions about a question that is very important for the organisation. It would put literacy and numeracy skills to good use, and children might even be involved in presenting the data orally in a formal way.

Our next step is to develop a beautiful poster which encapsulates this idea of the place of the garden in the life of the school and community. This can be placed in each classroom, in the kitchen, and shared with other community members and schools. It will act as a visual representation of our philosophy, and something to be proud of."

Growing a Better Tomorrow: A Sustainable Plan for our Future

Over 10 million people in the Horn of Africa and East Africa are struggling to survive in the driest period on record in 60 years. Very poor rainfall has led to crop failures and livestock deaths in the region, which in turn has resulted in rising food prices in an already unstable economic environment.

Our hearts go out to the children and families across East Africa who are facing severe malnutrition and economic strife as a result of this current crisis.

At Sabina Primary School we are making continued strides in our Food and Water Security (FWS) program to help safeguard our kids from the devastating effects of drought and food shortage.A mere three years ago, we introduced the concept of permaculture (permanent agriculture) to our staff at Sabina with the intention of giving them the tools to grow more of our own food, store more water, teach the children sustainable agriculture skills, and move towards food and water security at our school.

Our staff took up the challenge, in spades! We now have fruit trees producing mangoes, jackfruit, avocadoes, and pawpaw for our children. Thanks to new water tanks that store wet season rain, our gardens also produce potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkins, eggplants and other vegetables that add valuable nutrition to the school's staple diet of posho (corn-basedporridge) and beans. Our chickens, too, are contributing: eggs are now a weekly addition to the children's diet, with surplus eggs sold on the local market (where their bright yellow yolks set them apart).

But, perhaps the most vital crop reaped is the garden's new role as a learning tool, which sprang from the participation of seven of our teachers in a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course held at our school in 2010. Those seven teachers have since drafted a new curriculum in partnership with the Department of Education that will integrate our permaculture-based garden into every classroom subject - sciences, math, arts, reading and writing, as well as agriculture. Indeed, the Department of Education has proposed using our school as a model for experiential learning - taking the children out of the classroom and into the garden for hands-on activities. (How many ways can you cut up a jackfruit to get one-half: two quarters; four eighths; one quarter and two eighths - so much easier to see a fraction when you have your hands on it - and get to eat it at the end of class!)

We are so proud of our teachers and our students. Their energy levels are up in so many ways: proof in the pudding that good nutrition grows the body and the mind!

Please stay tuned for news from Prue Gill, the Australian teacher and Board Member of the Stephanie Alexander Foundation. Prue is working alongside Sabina's teachers to bring our Food and Water Security program alive in our classrooms.

Posted by Jan Smart, Vice Chair (Programs), Board of Directors, Children of Uganda

Permaculture progresses at Sabina

“Start with the little that you know and learn more from doing” (a guiding principle for new Permaculture managers at Sabina)

Sabina pupils harvest maize 

With this principle at the back of our mind I, (James Kalokola, FWS Assistant Program Manager) and Anna (FWS worker), assisted by teachers and staff at Sabina have been hard at work in the gardens. We have followed permaculture principles, including: stacking, multiple uses, and companion planting.

In the background of the photo above, you can see the school buildings. Water falling on the rooves is collected in the gutters and stored in the rainwater tanks. The collected water is used to water the vegetables, as drinking water for the chickens and in dry spells is used by the kitchen.

Sabina pupils harvest maize

Sabina pupils help prepare harvested maize for cooking

As well as the vegetables that are grown to improve the nutrition level of the lunch meal, a main crop is pineapples, enjoyed greatly by both pupils and staff. Maize uses the vertical space and ground nuts fix nitrogen, which is one of the nutrients required by the pineapple. Climbing beans on stands increase vertical yield without shading the pineapples, and they also fix nitrogen.

Sabina pupils enjoying maize from the permaculture gardens

 

 Anna and pupils harvest maize

Older COU students volunteer
Nyero Christopher and Yiga Tom have been volunteering at FWS during their form four vacation. These young men give us hope that there the new generation in Uganda will lead meaningful lives. They have volunteered of their own accord. This is the spirit of giving and hard work that we would like to inculcate in children. We would like them to think ahead to their survival after school. These two young men are now studying at Butende Technical Institute, continuing to improve their skills in construction. With so many skills under their belts they will undoubtedly do well after school.

 

Anna and Yiga Tom harvest eggplants

Yiga and Tom harvest according to a schedule of vegetable supply to the kitchen

Yiga and Nyero make their way to the kitchen after ‘shopping’, not from a distant market but from the Sabina permaculture vegetable market, a market that supplies toxin free vegetables

Yiga, Nyero and James demarcating an access path in the new banana plantation. Banana is a favourite food of children from central Uganda.

 

Sabina pupils eat popcorn made from maize grown at Sabina

Vegetable  garden  with maize  sukuma wiki,  spinach  amaranthus  and climber beans. There is increased yield as a result of using  the vertical space and appropriate selection of companions.  The garden is fertilised with compost made on site.

A wheel barrow contains cabbages sent as part of a vegetable package sent to Kiwanga

During Christmas season it is the time to receive gifts from loved ones, a time when even the poor who cannot afford a good meal most days give gifts, using money from dear ones, or accumulated over time in preparation for the festive season. And so it was with FWS, which sent  a Christmas package of vegetables  and fresh beans to children with no known relatives celebrating the holiday together at Kiwanga, which is also home to Philip’s House.

Yiga, together with Kenedy, a Sabina staff member, pack fresh beans from FWS to be sent to Kiwanga.

The woodlot
This woodlot, a FWS project, consists of approximately 24,000 eucalypts. Children of Uganda will save money spent on firewood, an expense that strains its coffers. The woodlot will also generate income for Children of Uganda by through the sale of excess fire wood or poles. The money saved and generated can be used to improve the welfare of children.

Juvenile eucalypts in the Sabina woodlot

 

This is what we have for you on our blog now. Keep visiting it for many more updates. And we hope to see you at Sabina one day to witness permaculture activities.

 

James Kalokola, Assistant FWS Program Manager

Moving forward with food and water security at Sabina

James Kalokola, Assistant Program Manager, Sabina Food and Water Security

My name is James Kalokola and I am the Assistant Program Manager at the permaculture project at Sabina, which has been renamed: Sabina Food and Water Security, or FWS for short.

About me and my journey to permaculture
My journey to FWS and permaculture started when I spotted an advertisement for the position of program assistant with FWS. I applied, hopeful that my qualifications and experience in agriculture would get me to the interview stage. To my pleasure I was shortlisted and, after an interview with representatives from Children of Uganda as well officials from the Rakai District Agriculture Department, I was chosen for the job.

But I don’t want to call this just a ‘job’ – it is much more than this for me. I’m passionate about the aims of this project and the values it represents, and I’m committed to improving it and achieving the best outcomes possible.

As a holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in conservation biology, I met the qualification requirements for the position. But I think that what is perhaps just as important is that I was born into and raised in a family that not only practices agriculture but values it, something which is unfortunately not always the case in modern Uganda where the lure of the city is strong. My training and my additional part-time work as a teacher at a local agricultural high school has also given me considerable experience interacting with students and the community.

Permaculture enters my world
To be frank, before I was appointed to this position in January 2010,  the word ‘permaculture’ was not part of my vocabulary. The first time I heard it was when I met Jan Smart, Vice Chair (Programs) of Children of Uganda Board of Directors, to discuss the position. Jan introduced me to Dan Palmer, an Australian volunteer who was one of the designers of the original permaculture site plan. Dan is a softly-spoken man. After greeting me, he asked a question of me: “Have you ever heard of Permaculture?”. I knew immediately I was in the hands of a good teacher. I replied immediately: “No”.
Then Dan said simply and quietly, “It is permanent agriculture“, and stopped there, leaving me wondering . He knew instinctively that I would be intrigued.

I left the meeting full of curiosity, determined to investigate further and leave no stone unturned in my quest to understand the concept. When I got back to my home town of Kyotera in Rakai district, I jumped on the internet and did some research. Oh my, what a lot of information on permaculture there was. But I still did not dream that this new word would be such a crucial part of my role at Sabina. And the idea that someday I might even start to teach it was not even on my horizon of thought.

Learning about permaculture
Attending the January 2010 Permaculture Design Course at Sabina School was really the turning point in my journey from conservation biologist to permaculturist. This was the first Permaculture Design Course ever held in Uganda and I attended along with 50 other participants from different corners of the world, including Kenya, Tanzania, Canada, Australia, and the UK. You can read more about this course here and in earlier posts in this blog, including this one.

The main instructor was Rosemary Morrow, a world famous permaculture practitioner and teacher based in Australia. Her teaching colleagues were Dan Palmer, Amanda Cuyler, Lindsay Dozoretz, Claudia and Rachael Otuyar. Rachel is an African lady who works on a farmer-extension project in Kenya run along conservation farming lines. Her knowledge of permaculture came from her time working at St Judes, an organic farming training site in the Masaka district close to Sabina. St Judes is designed along permaculture principles,

On the first day of the course, Rosemary Morrow introduced the concept of permaculture  and explained its origins and context. As the course progressed, my understanding of permaculture kept expanding and changing, as we moved from topic to topic. At one point, I saw it as ecology, at another I understood it as organic farming, and then further as physical planning , disaster management, and much more. This segmented understanding continued until the final days of the course, when it all started to come together holistically.

In a way, my initial disjointed understanding of permaculture is instructive. Permaculture does indeed have many disciplines embedded in it. All the topics and approaches above are part and parcel of permaculture. The confusion I faced is one that I suspect anybody new to the field of permaculture would be likely to succumb to .

I now realise that the ‘ingredients’  of  permaculture can be found in other areas of knowledge, but the way they are presented creates a unique style of designing and living, which I would urge anybody to venture into. But  I have one word of caution, based on my own short but intense experience of permaculture: once you decide to investigate, you will end up digging into it deeper and deeper.

A word of thanks
Though my professional background helped me adopt permaculture practices, I would also like to thank all the permaculturalists who have been involved in FWS, including: Rosemary Morrow, Dan Palmer, Amanda Cuyler, Mike Cloutier, Ralph Skerra, Kim Glasgow, Clive Mullett, Michele Sabto and Andy Trevillian, Cameron Cross and Symmone Gordon, and of course Jan Smart.

Stay tuned to find out all about recent progress at FWS. New posts will be up very shortly!

James Kalokola, FWS Assistant Program Manager

Life at Sabina

Life at Sabina has been nothing short of full ever since Cam and I arrived here late January. Getting used to our new surroundings wasn’t such a leap, as we both come from Northern New South Wales in Australia and the climate and landscape is very similar, so seeing the grass grow 2 inches in one week (with constant rain) insects which make kamikaze runs into any available food out in the open and bonding with the roster at 5.00am was familiar territory!

Getting acquainted with Sabina was like uncovering buried treasure; it possessed so much potential and with rolled up sleeves we threw ourselves into it. It’s has been a whirlwind of activity in the last three months and just when you think you have completed one thing, 5 others loom up to take its place. We have been looking forward to having some quiet time, but when Sabina beckons and there are a group of kids constantly wanting to learn, I now realise, having dinner with Museveni (the Ugandan president) would be easier.

Below; Being greeted!

Mornings start with the rattle of chicken keys being left at our front door as Steven (one of our Permaculture members) drops it off after feeding and watering the chickens- a duty he loves dearly. We throw back the mosquito netting and open the door to be greeting by the anticipation of the day. The warmth filters in, but still cool enough to enjoy the next few hours without looking for shade every 10 minutes! A big thank you to Clive and Kim for building such a cool Banda!

We throw on some gear to rival any hippy and splash around in a shallow bucket of water, quickly followed by some bananas hanging from the bunch next to the door, which suffices for breakfast until brunch, although Cam need to start the day with coffee hasnt dimished at all to kick-start the day!

James, our intern arrives at around 9, who works for 3 days per week and we go through the day’s activities and then split off into different directions attending to areas, which call out like long lost relatives.

Amongst the daily activities, Cam and I complete a Development and Action Plan for income generating Agri businesses and programs for self sufficiency. Having presented to the Kampala board now, we have formalised a direction and timeline which includes food production-Main garden, expansion of chicken system, water upgrades and repairs, cash crops, orchard expansion and intercropping, a Maize Mill, Bee keeping, Medicinal Plants, Nursery and Woodlots with the inclusion of infrastructure development, Integration of Permaculture Education for children, guardians and community, whilst not forgetting the important task of creating a beautiful environment for all to enjoy.

Making compost

When we arrived, we asked the Sabina boarding kids who would like to be in the Permaculture club and 22 excited kids put their hands up and from there it has been a flurry of activity, learning and teamwork. We now have 25 members and these kids are always involved in looking after the chickens ranging from feeding, egg collecting, replacing bedding, watering and rearing baby chicks. We have been putting the Rooster to good use (after all his claim to fame shouldn’t just be his early morning wake up calls) and we have 8 healthy chicks, we would like to breed more, but we need as many hens as possible producing eggs, so we can maintain our supply of one egg per child per week and to staff members, whilst also selling 3-5 trays a week providing much needed income to pay for the chicken feed and extra bits. A small incubator would do very nicely to continue the breeding program expanding the chicken numbers to 300 in the time frame we would like.

In the meantime, Cam and James have been busy increasing the chicken “grazing” area to include another two bays, one of which extends into a portion of the Matooke area resulting in some very healthy bunches of Matooke springing up. Our main issue now is replacing all the chicken wire, as it disintegrating before our very eyes! The replacement wire is 3 times the cost, but will last for a very long time which is extremely important for containing our ever curious chickens, which are finding holes everywhere to climb through and then there is the issue of stray dogs and wild cats who come to visit at night. We had a predator hawk sit and watch the chickens the other day looking for lunch, but the I think all the criss-crossing of wiring we have put up as support for the new passionfruit, beans and Choko didn’t allow for it to manage easy pickings.

Some shots before the Garden overhaul

The kids have been busy overhauling the main garden and turn up every Saturday morning eager to continue work. Cam and Rico have the boys who have no off switch once hoes, picks and shovels are in their hands and I work with the girls weeding, compost making, transplanting, propagation, watering, collecting grass and harvesting. Now this is an equal opportunity club, so don’t think we have split the roles promoting gender bias…..all of them take part in all aspects of Permaculture during the week, it’s just easier to manage them all at once with specific tasks allocated on Saturdays! Just when I think I’ve allocated all tasks, I have 3 approach me asking me for something else to do because they have finished!

After 11am on Saturdays we stop for a whopping great big jack fruit which the kids distribute amongst themselves and then have a little rest..…once energy levels are back in gear, they are biting at my ankles to continue working again, but this old body waits for the intensity of the sun to back off a little before we start again.

Below; some members of the Permaculture group digging into their Jackfruit....this time at night

Saturdays’ are also special days for the Permaculture kids from the perspective of an informal Kitchen Garden Program occurring at 6.00pm where they all harvest food from the garden, prepare and cook various recipes and then devour their meals! Cam and I supply oil, salt, condiments, flour, pots and gas cookers and the kids supply excitement, passion, hungry stomachs and a lot of laughter. These evenings are such great examples of what can happen when kids are encouraged to create and what is so evident is their strong independence and ability to work in team to make it happen. After dinner, it’s movie time and as soon as those dishes are washed, they all disappear from the Banda area like startled rabbits to be found waiting patiently at the library for Cam to set up the computer and speakers.

Finishing up after making dinner on Saturday

As a result of the program working so well and our own need to have a functioning cooking area, we are building a semi open kitchen with back and front verandah…(lovely view of the chickens at one end and rivals Lake Como!)….Having discussed its potential with the Director of Studies- Jude Ssantale and his unbridled eagerness; the idea is to have many more children benefit from learning how to grow food, its nutritional content and methods of cooking it. We will be introducing far more greens, cooked vegetables, fruits and baked items into their diet. With this new program comes the introduction of a trained cooking teacher to lead the way and we hope our new cook Tina with further training can wear those shoes. Soon we will be building a cob oven to add to the kitchen….. the call of baking bread and making pizzas has been a distant sad memory for us addictive flour types of late! Whilst addressing my withdrawal symptoms, it is a great way to introduce the kids to baking and potentially have the community members learn how to build their own ovens.

The kitchen is half way complete and we expect to finish in a couple of weeks where it will be fully equipped with running water, a sink, gas cookers and kitchen cabinets. It also serves the dual purpose of allowing volunteers and interns a place to cook and hang out in the heat of the day.

Right; Building the foundation for the Kitchen

The water upgrade and repairs are in motion now and thanks to Jeane Kroenigs donation, has helped fast track running water into the medical room, the chicken house, the main kitchen and the Banda Kitchen. It means the end to countless Jerrycans of water continuously being carried to the kitchen and other areas resulting in time efficiency for all. Below; The kitchen built half way

Four tanks at the school are being placed at ground level, all being removed from their raised concrete bases, which are all cracking and collapsing with the huge weight of water and bad workmanship. A much cheaper and practical method is to place the poly tanks on 3mm aggregate, at 100mm thick, which is thoroughly compacted, a method used quite extensively in Australia. The guttering is also being fixed on the school buildings to capitalise on far more water catchment and with the additional good news that the water collected from the red painted roof is safe to drink (a chemical analyis has been done), an additional source of drinking water is available through dry season.

The main garden has had a huge overhaul and has doubled in size adding much needed beds, enough to supply the Sabina kids with a variety of vegetables and salads on a weekly basis when it comes into full production. The next stage of this plan is to upgrade the Main Kitchen to accommodate for the correct preparation and cooking of these foods to add to the daily meal of posho (boiled maize flour) and beans. Nutritional training and different cooking techniques are required for the current cooking staff, as it is an essential component to allow for the full benefits of paddock to plate at Sabina.

Below; The main garden almost finished

The Main Garden now has a shade structure covering half its size, the shade provided by reed mats allowing for protective covering over portions of the beds; some of these beds require permanent cover from the sun like cauliflower and lettuces, while the other areas are removed once the establishment of the seedlings is secured. The great thing about the mats is they allow the rain to come through acting like a drip irrigation system from above, but prevent heavy downpours from shredding the leaves of young seedlings. They also trap moisture and in the morning you can find the steady dripping of water onto the beds, so combined with this and mulching, water conservation is now a reality.

The nursery bed bimming with seedlings ready for transplanting

With the addition of a fifty metre hose and ample water pressure, Cam has built a resourceful water sprayer using bits usually used in plumbing for opening and shutting valves in pipes. The kids love it, as it means no more endless carrying of watering cans for thirsty plants. This also means the water is now directed to the seedlings and not to the surrounding bare zones, which was the result using a full watering can and small children!

The shade structure finished and placed over a variety of seedlings

In two months we should expect cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes, watermelon, pumpkin, Kale, Bok Choy and many varieties of lettuce. Sweet corn, broccoli, Giant cucumber and zucchini have been planted too, but for seed saving purposes with a view to build on seed numbers for proper production.

Based on this new system of shade cover we expect to be able to grow throughout the dry season, especially made helpful with the additional water supply and catchment from the water upgrade and repairs. Succession planning for vegetables is in effect, so there is a continuous flow of seedlings being transplanted out, aiming for no gap in the food production. The permanent areas where the shade structure is will have passionfruit, choko and sponge plants growing up and over the wiring in place, acting as a natural canopy whilst the semi permanent area will continue to have mats.

Before and after shots of the area outside the chickens home

The outdoor class room is finished with some dedicated labour from Cam, Charles and Will, providing seating for 40 students under shade mats when Gardening classes are on. Students are also invited to sit during their free time and watch nature do its thing.

The gardening classes and Permaculture group have been planting out the nursery beds which are divided neatly in sections and named with the vegetable growing in it. The kids now are able to recognise what is what amongst all that green foliage and delight in being tested!

An interesting irony I have discovered is that the kids are totally freaked out by worms and other insects which live in the soil…. whilst catching thousands of flying ants and frying them up as a delicacy is no issue whatsoever…….convincing them that a worm is not a baby snake ready to bite happens weekly!

Tending to a sick chicken

I found a legless lizard (I think) which was a foot long and solid black, which looked very much like a snake and for all I know could have been, as I’m no snake identifying expert….nonetheless in true Steve Irwin fashion, I picked it up to show the kids and didn’t everyone just freeze in their tracks and those that didn’t freeze, ran…fast! It took 5 minutes of explaining it was more frightened of them than the reverse, so when one child dared to touch it with me firming grasping either end….many oohs, ahhs and excited murmurs later, all were ok. I let it go, away from everyone so it could find some sanctuary from the trauma it had just endured.

The worm farm is functioning and producing lots of worm juice where we use it for the nursery, and young trees to give it an occasional kick, but ask the kids to stick their hands in the worm bin and contorted looks start to form…I can only repeat to myself “slowly, slowly, things take time!"

Plans are now in motion to expand the Matooke area beside the Banda’s and a specifically allocated area for sweet Banana’s. Passionfruit seedlings and new areas with cash crops such as pineapple, tomatoes and cabbages are being prepared to take advantage of the wet season and being so close to the Main garden allows for access to water when needed via that wonderful hose and the convenience of its proximately for safeguarding our valuable crops.

The Rakai Agricultural office has offered to donate most of what we require and have been quite impressed with the overall objectives which the FWS program is endeavouring to complete…especially the psychological and physical well being of the chickens! Free range chickens do not exist for commercial purposes in Uganda! They also told us we would not be able to breed our Rhode Island Red princesses based on their own attempts and as a result have been keen to understand our success.

Below; Charles and I on our way to Kyotera to pick up chicken feed

The Permaculture group and I have been busy tending to all trees in front of the library and the Banda’s, whilst James has been busy in the Food forest area. Lots of digging around the tree bases to form a wide circle and to clear grass has been a focus to begin the healthy management of the soil and encourage a fungus environment.

I am still undecided as to whether the excitement of tree mulching is the driving force or whether it is the wheel burrow races to and from the trees to collect the resources required! The kids have learned how to dig, use chicken/ coffee husk manure and mulch the area. I have also added some bio dynamic preps to several sick trees with great results appearing within a few days. At this stage we are also requesting more fruit trees such as Mango, citrus, Haas avocado and Jackfruit from the Agricultural department to plant around the compound.

Below; the assembly area before woodchipping

Another area we have been very keen to fix are the roads around the compound and leading into the boarding section. For a very small cost we have had some really good workers straighten out the road and slant its gradient slightly to one side allowing water to pool and flow down a channel as can be seen by the photo.

Together with the kids we applied woodchip to the road, under trees and the school area. It has certainly made a difference with less mud and less work to keep the place clean. The Permaculture kids had so much fun running races with wheelbarrows full of woodchip and the token 6 year old inside….. that is…… until

one tipped over and the child went flying!

Below; the school assembly area covered in woodchip and happy members of the Permaculture group

By the end of it all there was just as much woodchip over the kids as there was on the ground! That was a really hard day to get them to finish, even with the call of Jackfruit!

Below; the road before grading

Noting how much fun they love to have and the lack of play equipment, Cam and I are planning to build a playground made from whatever we can get our hands on. It serves two benefits, they all stop hanging off trees and breaking fences and the playground becomes a learning tool as much as it is a sanctuary for them to hang out at. It was pretty evident to see after our trip to the Uganda Wildlife Sanctuary (a surprise for the Permaculture group) that the playground and food…..Not the animals, were the highlight of the day, it just reinforced we are all on the same page!

We are currently applying for funding from an organisation called Sawlog which support Woodlot development and all the necessary expertise for establishment. Combined with all the wood Sabina currently uses, it would provide a means to lower the expenses for running the main kitchen and providing building materials, whilst enabling an income stream from the sales. Ultimately, our focus is to implement far more sustainable options such solar ovens and biogas to the Main kitchen, which is the research we are undertaking now. With composting toilets high on the agenda, a resource such as biogas would go a long way to providing a viable long term solution for fuel requirements to the kitchen and with so many bottoms at Sabina, it makes sense! In our next posting, we should have a firmer idea of how to implement this plan and solve two problems with one solution.

In addition to this, we are all getting whoever is interested to participate in some creativity by building benches and sculptures made from Hybrid Adobe…this is made from newspaper mulch, clay, a touch of cement and soil…..who would have thought we would have such a hard time getting old newspapers? This is due to everyone keeping them as an archive for information and will only part with really old ones at quite a cost. When I have mentioned what we want to do, I am give a look similar to one reflected when burning holy books! Thank fully I have many other types of papers collected as part of the waste management program in the compost bay to use!

One of our first priorities was waste management when we arrived, with lots of plastic and rubbish lying about, it was our first step in teaching the kids about using organic waste for the garden and collecting plastics to place in the designating area for burning. Metal bins were purchased and with a bit of paint and a few brushes, the environment club went to work on all the bins labelling them appropriately with their waste type and the section of Sabina they belonged to.

Below Ben from the environment club explaining about organic and inorganic waste whilst I hold up Banana peels

Chained to their new homes, various wastes found its way in the bins, whilst Kenard (the cleaner) maintains them by periodically emptying them into the compost bays, chicken areas and under the Matooke. All plastic is allocated for burning with a future plan to build an incinerator rather than having toxic smoke waft for days. The waste management strategy is also joined by a fuel powered grass cutter to replace the hand slashing which is very costly for the school to upkeep on a regular basis. Whilst Sabina benefits from well maintained, snake free grounds, we also benefit from the regular grass clippings and use the resource for mulching the garden beds, under trees, the chicken areas (they love to scratch around) and compost making. Below; Cam dancing with the kids

On a final note, just so you know how boring we really are, when Cam and I are not playing in soil, rolling around in woodchip and building things , we creating templates for management quietly in the background…who am I kidding….. there is no such thing as a quite background with a few hundred kids darting about.

Templates such as; the Volunteer and Management induction, Operation manuals, Handover documents, The Development and Action plan with associated timelines, raising the profile of the school with a view to increase school fees and the networking and negotiation which goes hand in hand with the practicality of daily activities provide the binding glue with which we need to move forward ensuring continuance and longevity for those who come after us with a strong focus on empowering Ugandan ownership and management of this program……. sooner rather than later.

For further details of the Development Plan or anything else about Sabina, you can contact us on symmone@visionaryventures.com.au and Cameron@visionaryventures.com.au.

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So until the next blog posting……..farewell