OMG! Gardens of life

MANILA, Philippines - In the wake of 2013’s catastrophes, life lessons on the importance of stewardship, camaraderie and hope have been rooted in many Filipino hearts, extending beyond the areas devastated by natural disasters. The goal of sustainable transformation has been the pre-occupation of the nation, fueled by support from local and international groups and, more importantly, by the restored hope and solidarity of communities nationwide.

In Metro Manila, imagining self-sustaining communities within the most densely populated areas is a growing vision of redevelopment. The transforming of urban lots into sources of livelihood, community-building and enhanced nutrition levels has been the mission of the Oh my Gulay! advocacy program. The goal? Soil remediation, beautification and enhanced nutrition.

Vacant lots in elementary schools in the most densely populated and malnourished areas of the country are being harnessed to provide food production opportunities, encourage community revitalization and enhance nutrition levels.

In addition, through literacy, nutrition advocacy and teaching the basic values of team work and good citizenship, this program has proven that urban farming projects can sow and reap seeds of hope and gardens do have the power to inspire and uplift neighborhoods.

The primary vision of the Oh my Gulay! project is to alleviate nutritional deficiencies among underprivileged children and their families, connecting schools under the Department of Education and community members with the East-West Seed Foundation and members from the private sector, to ensure means and access to fresh organic produce.

Two years later, not only has this program helped to stop the vicious cycle of food and health disparity in adopted communities, but has also helped strengthen neighborly relationships, deepened an understanding of our environment and developed a true appreciation of food for community members nation-wide.

Launched in 2011, the advocacy program led by the DepEd, East-West Seed Foundation and supported by the private sector have been geared toward creating awareness about the nutritional value of common vegetables. Its objective has been to encourage families to plant and eat vegetables and be more concerned about nutrition.

“In our respective roles as teachers, researchers and program administrators, we’ve had the privilege to walk with many families as they discovered and re-discovered the joy of parenting primarily through the enhanced focus of their child’s health. Throughout the process, we’ve seen positive results in health and nutrition of families, in relationships and an increased appreciation and stewardship of what we have,” shares Luz Carlos, teacher for Grade IV and V at the Barangka Elementary School in Marikina City.  

“Our gardens give kids an example of how to make their world a better place,” she adds.

For instance, when asked to describe the garden, one child saidd, “For me, it’s been a place where everybody is a friend and works together.”

At least one night a week, this garden brings faculty, students and their parents together to harvest, learn about nutrition and nature, and strengthen community ties. Children take home what they grow, infusing an urban neighborhood with freshly picked produce and flowers. These gardens now serve as model programs that teach nutrition and promote health through gardening.

“Hard work yields good fruit,” shares Josie Paule, executive director of OMG! Foundation. “Students dig, plant and harvest in their schoolyards and find joy in reaping the produce of their hard work. For their first planting season, project technicians worked with the children, their teachers and parents. These garden fruits yield academic and life lessons: studying the life cycle of plants reflects the school’s health and science curriculum while it imparts the value of hard work, good nutrition and responsibility,” she adds. 

But Jane Ramirez of La Paz Elementary School in Makati City sees a bigger picture: “A garden helps us understand why we need to take care of our community and our town.”

A key advantage to garden programs is that they fight urban blight while restoring hope. “For us, it’s been about focusing on one’s nutrition, overall well-being, being grateful for our family, for what we have and instilling community pride,” says Ramirez.

With weekly cooking and recipe-sharing sessions among the children, parents and faculty, the gardens have been an opportunity for them to socialize, and better know and appreciate each other. “The garden is a free-standing, living example of the empowerment of people – a reason to say, ‘Look what this little seed can create,’” says Janet Sarmiento Amurao, principal of Barangka Elementary School in Marikina City.

“These kids build technical skills, work on projects in teams, and learn things that are applicable in just about every area of life,” shares Paule.

“About P500,000 is needed to finance the setting up of the garden of about a thousand square meters or bigger; to-date, there are about 75 sponsored school gardens nationwide with one of our key partners, the Infant Pediatric and Nutrition Association of the Philippines (IPNAP), supporting 11 of these,” she adds.

“What we are looking for is the story of triumph over adversity beyond the everyday problems nature sends our way,” says Alex Castro III, executive director for IPNAP. “Most important are the challenges for the gardeners and the families, be it their physical or mental health and lack of resources. While a beautiful display of color and produce clearly shows the community’s victory, we are not just looking for impact measured in blooms, but the effect that a garden has had on nutrition levels, and family and community bonds.”

When most of the crops are harvestable, a community day or harvest festival is held to showcase to visitors the results of improved vegetable production techniques. A cooking competition using the vegetables produced is also held.

“In our area, everyone has one war, one thing that has bothered us constantly – malnutrition of our children and related to this, the lack of means and awareness on the part of the parents,” Carlos says. “In all my years living here, I’ve never seen an improvement of health, nutrition and bonding like I’m seeing now. With these simple seeds, hope and happiness has been restored.”