Convoy of Hope’s School Gardens Yield More Than Just Crops
After taking the time to learn, train, and work hard, students at a school in the Dominican Republic are celebrating their first harvest from their school garden.
Convoy of Hope’s Agriculture program offers schools around the world the opportunity to grow a small-plot garden where students can learn agriculture skills and enjoy the food they produce.
“Beyond the technical part and the harvested fruit, the most valuable thing has been the impact on the lives of students,” said Ivan Sepulveda, Convoy’s National Director in the Dominican Republic. “Some have shared how they’ve changed their behavior and learned to work as a team.”
A prime example of this life transformation is Edwin. Edwin used to not enjoy school — and he really didn’t like studying. Then he began participating in Convoy’s school garden project and something clicked. He worked hard in the garden, and that work ethic translated to his other classes. His grades improved. Now Edwin even wants to go to university and study agronomy.
In the next few weeks, Convoy’s Agriculture team in the Dominican Republic will train a new group of kids. This time, they plan to add corn and beans to the garden.
“Our desire is to continue to bring hope to the communities most in need,” Ivan said. “It fills us with joy to know that several schools are now requesting that we take the project to their schools. This represents for us an answered prayer, for which we have been praying for a long time.”
Training students in agricultural best practices through hands-on projects like school gardens equips them with life-changing knowledge and skills. Through these projects, Convoy is seeing lives and communities transformed.
