On April 4, 2023, during the launch of Building Sustainable Learning and Skills Development held at Nakivubo Primary School, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) gave gardening equipment to ten (10) KCCA schools.
The Building Sustainable, Learning and Inclusive Cities (SLICKS) project, KCCA aims at promoting gardening in schools as part of their learning curriculum to empower children with the knowledge of farming.
This initiative, a collaboration between the cities of Kampala and Strasbourg, focuses on three priority areas of urban agriculture, green spaces, and education. The project is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).
The benefiting schools include; Nakivubo PS, Kitante PS, Mpererwe PS, Kisaasi PS, Mutundwe COU PS, KCCA Busega Community School, Kibuli Demonstration School, St. Paul Demonstration School, Ggaba PS, Kyambogo PS, and St. Paul Primary School Banda.
The project’s underlying philosophy is project-based pedagogy, which emphasizes learning through practical experience with the goal of promoting sustainable education through practical learning.
Juliet Namuddu, the Director of Education and Social Services at KCCA, expressed her delight at the project, saying that involving children in gardening will teach them important skills and promote a healthy lifestyle while nurturing a love for nature.
“Children will learn how to measure, weed, and take care of the gardens, and they will be encouraged to continue gardening even after they leave school. The project aims to produce skilled learners who can produce food and benefit their communities in the long run,” Namuddu said.
Namuddu challenged the school heads not to abandon the gardens, but nurture and ensure continuity of the project.
Additionally, the project aims at promoting urban farming among the city’s young people as well as inculcate a culture of environmental conservation and greening.
In this project, schools will establish kitchen gardens, where children can plant vegetables, cook them and eat them.
Working with the Directorate of Gender, Community Services and Production, teachers and parents from the benefiting schools were also trained on gardening by experts from Kyanja Agricultural Center.
The schools received gardening equipment such as hoes, wheelbarrows, spray pumps, leaf-rakes, watering cans, garden pruners, among others.
A two-year joint initiative between Kampala and Strasbourg, SLICKS, was launched in September 2022.
