Canadian Rotary Collaboration for International Development (CRCID) 1579 Hyde Park Road – London, ON – N6H 5L4 Phone: (519) 473-2100 – Fax: (519) 471-8982 Email: [email protected] - Website: www.crcid.org

Supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and participating Rotary Clubs

January 3, 2007

Rotary Club of Petawawa C/o Project Contact and President Tamara Yankovich 830 Lubitz Road Pembroke, ON K8A 6W6

Dear President Yankovich:

Re: CRCID Project #2002.041; TRF #23552; School Vegetable Garden, Honduras

Thank you for submitting your final report to CRCID, which indicates the immediate results of your initiative, School Vegetable Garden in Honduras. The CRCID office has reviewed your report and finds it complete for our records. We hope that you have also shared your report with your partners.

Future plans include customary monitoring by CRCID, and submission of all of your experiences to the CRCID webpage. You will be notified prior to either of these events.

We look forward to submitting your success and experiences to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), who in turn will submit these on to parliament and the appropriate Canadian Embassy.

CRCID would like to congratulate the Rotary Clubs of Petawawa and Tegucigalpa on the successful completion of a worthy World Community Service project.

Best regards,

Rtn. Kevin Webb CAO – CRCID KJW/dt

CC Bruce O’Callaghan, CRCID Member, District 7040

President Chairman C.A.O. David Robinson John Eberhard Kevin J. Webb

CRCID Final Report Guidelines 2002-03 Page 1 of 15

CRCID MG# 2002.041

Final Report

CRCID Final Report Guidelines 2002-03 These headings correspond to the CRCID Final Report Form, available in computer format for your convenience. Project Goals This section outlines how you helped and impacted the community. Project Background – Previous Situation:

Describe the location of the project within the country and give a summary of the social and economic situation in which the project was carried out, including:

• a description of the beneficiary community including its geographic location, population size, key economic, social and cultural characteristics, (the type of information which is relevant here will depend on the nature of the project) • how and what the community identified as their primary need and how this project addressed this need • a summary of the past conditions the project meant to address, including: o Qualitative (Descriptive) indicators of the past situation o Quantitative (Measurable, statistical) indicators of the past situation o A comparison of the above to your project goals, and your actual results • any other information you wish to include

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income. Per capita GDP is only $2,600 US at purchasing power parity, with agriculture forming 18% of the economy. The population of Honduras is approximately 6.5 million, and the proportion of the population under the age of 14 is 41.8%, with roughly equal numbers of males and females. In 1993, 53% of the population was estimated to be below the poverty line. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2003].

Malnutrition among Honduran children ranges between 57% and 80%, with some of the worst affected regions in the rural areas. Similar numbers of adults are affected. By addressing the problem at an early age, this project hopes to promote a higher level of nutrition to future adults.

The Honduran Government, with support of PMA (Program Mundial de Alimentacion) [World Food Program], an Organisation of the United Nations, is committed to delivering one meal daily to about 400,000 children in public schools of marginal and rural areas (Figure 1 and Table 1).

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Figure 1: Geographical distribution contributed as part of the school meal project in 2005 (Source of Map: World Food Program Database).

Table 1: Composition of a meals provided to each child participating in the Honduras School Gardens Project.

Type of Food Quantity No. of Protein Produced (in grams) Calories Content Iron Vitamin A

Rice 70 252 4 3 - Corn 70 253 6.6 1.8 8 Corn-Soya Blend 20 76 3.6 3.7 100 Oil 10 90 - - - Beans 30 103 7 2 0.08

TOTAL 200 774 21.2 10.5 108.08

a This ration satisfies 35% of the caloric value for children between 4 and 14 year of age and 60% of their daily protein requirements.

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This project complements other basic programs including “school meals” and “glasses of milk” that will enrich the diet of children in these schools. The overall national plan is to establish 1,000 vegetable gardens each year over a period of 5 years (Figure 2).

1000000

191,489 167,418 158,907 149,503 164,068 90,490 100000

10000

2,018 1,588 1,814 1,281 1,502

1000 542

Total No. per Year 100

10

1 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Year No. of Schools No. of School Children

Figure 2: Number of schools and school children benefiting from the program per year.

The CRCID [#2002.041] and Rotary Foundation Matching Grant [MG 23552] funded project formed one small, but self-contained, contribution by Rotarians towards this effort, which resulted in the establishment of 387 vegetable gardens in the Department of Francisco Morazan, Honduras (Table 2, Figs 3 and 4). This corresponds to about 39% of the Honduran national annual target for school garden construction. Francisco Morazan contains the capital city, Tegucigalpa, in which the partner Rotary Club (Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa) is located.

CRCID Final Report Guidelines 2002-03 Page 4 of 15

Figure 3: Map of the Departments of Honduras. Francisco Morazan is the large white department stretching from the centre of the country towards the El Salvador border.

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Table 2: List of municipalities in the Department of Francisco Morazan in which school vegetable gardens were funded through this grant. The numbers of schools gardens funded per municipality is given in the right hand column. The number in the left hand column corresponds to the numbers given to the municipalities in Fig 4.

Muncipiality No. Municipality Name No. of Schools 1 Distrito Central 100 2 Alubarén 10 3 Cedros 32 4 Curarén 19 5 El Porvenir - 6 Guaimaca - 7 La Libertad - 8 La Venta 22 9 Lepaterique 31 10 Maraita - 11 Marale - 12 Nueva Armenia - 13 Ojojona 16 14 Orica - 15 Reitoca 10 16 Sabanagrande 21 17 San Antonio de Oriente- - 18 Sanbuenaventura 7 19 San Ignacio - 20 San Juan de Flores 41 21 San Miguelito - 22 Santa Ana 11 23 Santa Lucía 9 24 Talanga 27 25 Tatumbla 12 26 Vallecillo - 27 Valle de Angeles 19 28 Villa de San Francisco 28 Total 387

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Figure 4. Map of the Department of Francisco Morazan. The numbered municipalities correspond to the numbers given in Table 2.

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Outcomes (project goals):

Use this section to describe the current benefits to the people of the community, including:

• how this project is currently addressing the primary causes of poverty • the effects on all groups and people involved, including the role of men and women in the community, including: o Qualitative (Descriptive) results o Quantitative (Measurable, statistical) results • how many people are currently benefiting directly from the project • how this project fits into a larger and/or future project (if applicable) • any other information you wish to include

As students are involved in the planting, growing and irrigation of vegetables, Vegetable Gardens for Honduran Elementary Schools is providing an educational experience. Students are learning good agricultural practices that are leading to improved nutrition and ultimately, to a better state of health. The scale of participation is dependent on the size of each school, with an average of 50 children participate at each site, resulting in a direct benefit by approximately 19,350 school children per year and an indirect benefit by many more.

For example, as students take this information home, this project will ultimately lead to better practices outside of the school. Fundamental to the project is the involvement of the parents of school children, who are being made aware of the need to combat malnutrition. Tools and knowledge provided by this project can be used to teach these skills to future students attending each school.

The project also includes education on the preparation, hygiene and consumption of foods. The food grown at each school is being used in each school to help feed the children. This project addresses poverty by improving agricultural knowledge and level of nutrition. This will result in a better state of health enabling people to be more productive.

This Rotary project forms a self-contained part of a goal of adding 1,000 school gardens per year for 5 years throughout Honduras.

CRCID Final Report Guidelines 2002-03 Page 8 of 15

Impact (long-term effects):

The achievements of your club and partners should enable the beneficiary community to increase their standard of living and create new opportunities in the future. Outline any anticipated impacts, including: • how this project will addresses the primary causes of poverty in an extended period of time • any new activities that may be possible in the community after the outcomes have been achieved, including any current plans • how many people are expected to benefit indirectly from the project • how this project and any possible new activities will enable the entire community to become more self-sustaining • how this project fits into any current or future projects (if applicable) • any plans to monitor the project or visit the project site • any plans to continue communications with your partners • any other information you wish to include

The scope of the project is widespread, ultimately influencing a total of 387 elementary schools that are located in rural areas of Francisco Morazan, Honduras (Table 2, Figures 3 and 4). Students, parents and teachers participating in this project have gained basic skills that can be applied throughout their lives. These skills can be used to grow food for families, as well as to grow food to sell, to support a family’s livelihood, thereby promoting economic sustainability in Honduran communities. This information can also be passed along to other members of each community. The gardens that have been established at each school and the tools provided will be available for use by future generations of students and teachers. The knowledge provided by the training from this project will benefit current and future members of local communities across Honduras.

This particular CRCID project Honduras School Vegetable Gardens was started prior to the reorganization of CRICD funding. However, in the change from projects to programs, Honduras School Vegetable Gardens has been included as one of the Approved Programs for funding in Honduras by CRCID. It meets several key targets for funding as is readily scalable for funding.

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Project Description and Planning This section outlines the action and involvement accomplished to achieve your goals. Participant description and dynamics: Describe the participants and groups they represent listed in the contact information section, including: • skills, experience, and involvement they brought to the project • personal relationships and dynamics that contributed to the success of the project • any changes in contacts or contact information (used to assist future monitoring) • any other information you wish to include

Planning and Implementation/Government Involvement: The Technical Task Force for the Health in Honduran Schools Program was created by the Executive Branch of the Honduran Government. The cooperating organization, Escuela Saludable, has been organizing workshops for the promoters, directors, teachers and parents of the target student groups. These training sessions were focused on methodologies for the cultivation of local vegetables, basic grains and fruit trees that are suitable to local climates and soils. In addition, training covered nutritional needs and basic food consumption hygiene.

The Technical Task Force selected the land for each garden plot (representing an area of at least 20 m2), preferably on school grounds. Sites were chosen in consultation with local members of the community. Escuela Saludable supervised the preparation of the compost, the installation of the irrigation systems, and other phases of the development of the plants, until harvest. This project benefits all sectors of society, and both genders equally.

Project Management/Rotary Involvement: Rotarians of the Tegucigalpa Rotary Club and the Auxiliary Rotary Wives Committee made frequent visits to garden sites to assure proper functioning of the project and assisted in the establishment of garden plots. The garden plots are all located in Francisco Morazan, the department in which the capital, Tegucigalpa, is located. This meant that the Honduran Rotarians involved in this project were in the same geographic region as the specific gardens created. Canadian Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Petawawa visited members of the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa and kept in contact by email and telephone throughout the project.

Direct Beneficiaries: Nutritional and hygiene education and hands-on agricultural training was be received by an average of 50 children at 387 schools (Table 2, Figures 3 and 4), resulting in the direct involvement of approximately 19,350 children. The food grown from these gardens supplemented the diets of many additional elementary school children, resulting in increased protein and nutrients to promote learning and health.

Indirect Beneficiaries: Parents, teachers and other members of the community have been involved in the project through community workshops. It is expected that the knowledge of agricultural techniques is being passed along out of the school and into the villages. These skills will likely have a positive impact on future generations.

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Monitoring: • Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa monitored the progress at many of the sites. • The Auxiliary Rotary Wives Committee visited many of the gardens. • Escuela Saludable provided technical skills and monitoring of individual garden plots. • Canadian Rotarians from District 7040 visited members of the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa in Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemalan, as well as maintained email and telephone contact throughout the project. • CIDA representatives have performed a site visit to audit the activities during execution of this project.

Project activities: Outline the main activities which took place, including: • the process used to plan the project and the involvement of the beneficiary community, men and women, in this process • how the project was implemented/managed and who was involved, with reference to the above groups identified (Rotary, NGO, community, etc.) and who was in charge of the overall project management • formation of any community committees, including the relative involvement of men and women • consultation with the local government during project planning and implementation and how the government was involved, for approval, authorization, and/or support • how progress being made in the project was monitored by the people involved

Please refer to the information in previous section, which outlines not only the descriptions of the dynamics, but also the roles and activities of each Partner.

Project inputs (resources): Outline the resources used, including: • physical resources (budget items) • monetary resources (contributions) • non-monetary resources (e.g. training, advice from experts, participant’s labour, etc.) • any other relevant resources you wish to expand upon listed or not listed in your expenditures

NON-MONETARY RESOURCES:

• A total of 387 plots of land have been provided by schools across Honduras. • Participation by an average of 50 children per school throughout the year in planting, weeding, irrigation and harvesting of food.

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• Technical advice on suitable locations for plots (in consultation with local members of the community), help in installing the drip irrigation systems, and implementation of training sessions to community members and teachers will be provided through Escuela Saludable. • Seeds were donated by the North Stockton Rotary Club (USA) Seeds for Hope Project. • Voluntary labour was provided by Rotarians.

Please refer to the invoices that have been provided earlier to CRCID for the monetary and physical resources. Approximately US$450 were returned to CRCID upon completion of the project.

Project outputs (Immediate results/objectives): Use this section to give more details of the achieved physical results as a result of your activities, including: • what physical construction is in place, and/or coursework that has finished (the concrete results of your activities will depend upon your project) • relevant statistics

PHYSICAL CONSTRUCTION (at 387 schools across Francisco Morazan, Honduras):

• Preparation of plots of land • Fencing of plots • Installation of drip irrigation systems

CAPACITY BUILDING:

• Direct involvement of approximately 19,350 elementary school-aged children in growing and harvesting of vegetables, including training in drip irrigation and nutrition. • Involvement of the parents of these children through the schools (Figure 5). • Public workshops describing the project have been provided in each community where the project was carried out. • Training of teachers organized through Escuela Saludable.

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Figure 5: Photograph of school children and community members preparing to install a school garden in rural Francisco Morazan, Honduras.

Risk factors Give a one or two sentence analysis of the factors/critical assumptions you made in planning the project, and how these contributed to any successes or shortcomings.

• The Honduran 5-year National Program is organized in conjunction with the World Health Organization. There will inevitably be some variability in success of individual gardens depending on local variations in soils, specific crops and varieties grown, and climate and technical level available in different parts of Honduras. • The cooperating organization, Escuela Sauldable, has capably provided technical expertise in the initial selection of sites in or around the schools, and assisting in the initial installation of drip irrigation at each site. • The Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa provided coordination between Canadian funding a local execution. • Unforeseen risks: o A change in the Honduran Government provided a significant delay in completing the final spending phase of the project, so that the December 2005 expected date was pushed back until late Spring 2006. o A serious health problem of the only English-speaking collaborator in this project in the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa caused some communication delays. o While the project was behind schedule, costs turned out to be slightly lower than expected, which meant that the scope of the project was increased from the 349 schools promised in the CRCID proposal to 387 schools, while still being completed under budget, so that ~$450 US was returned to CRCID. Summary of Project: Timeline (longer than predicted), Budget (under budget), Scope (exceeded)

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Success factors Sustainability: Definition: “Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. Identify aspects of the proposed project’s design that are likely to contribute to the benefits of the project continuing after Rotary funding ends, including: • the extent to which the recipient community was or will be involved in the project planning, implementation and follow-on activities • skills training provided to community members/groups • measures taken for the ongoing operation/maintenance/repairs of any equipment provided or facilities constructed through the project • provisions that were or will be made for payment for services to be provided to the community as a result of the project and how these fees will be generated and used • personal and institutional strengthening/capacity building carried out with partner organizations and/or community groups as part of the project • connections/ support from local government infrastructure/authorities • any other information regarding sustainability you wish to outline

Local Involvement: The local project planning (which involved site selection for vegetable plots) was carried out by personnel from Escuela Saludable, in consultation with teachers and local members of the community to ensure suitable sites for cultivation. The follow-on is reliant on the work of local teachers and students. Their incentive is the ability to grow good quality food to supplement their diets.

Skills Training to Community: Skills are being provided via the training of teachers and students, and the involvement of parents through Escuela Saludable. Teachers are providing the main guidance throughout the year.

Operation/Repairs: There is little physical equipment required for each garden. Field experience in other Rotary projects suggests that maintenance of bucket drip irrigation systems is minimal. The basic tools provided should be enough to fix problems, such as plumbing of the system. Further advice on irrigation systems would be available through Rotary partners and Escuela Saludable. The tools required for each garden and the technology level of drip irrigation are basic enough that problems should be able to be fixed locally. Damage from animals should be reduced by the barbed-wire fencing.

Government Involvement: The Honduran government, through the First Lady’s Office, is a champion of the project nationally.

Personal and Institutional Capacity Building: The skills learned by students can be applied throughout their lives. The tools and equipment, as well as the training provided to each school and community, can be used in future years to grow vegetables for consumption and to teach new students and community members how to grow vegetables.

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Gender and development: In many cases, project affect men and women differently and an understanding of the different roles played by men and women in the beneficiary community is critical to the success of the project. More details regarding the importance of gender in development and CIDA’s gender equality policy can be found in Factsheet P-3 (“Gender Equity”). Summarize the gender context of the project, including: • a description of different roles men and women play in the beneficiary community • roles which were relevant to the project • involvement of men and women in the planning and implementation of the project • the involvement of men and women in the planning and implementation of the project • the effects the project has had, or is expected to have on men and women and on their roles in the society

• Both boys and girls have been involved through the school, so both are benefiting from knowledge and food production. It is hoped that the knowledge these children gain regarding nutrition through their school years will follow them through into their adult lives as men and women. Both genders are benefiting equally from food production, consumption and nutritional education. It is expected that better nutrition is improving the ability of students to learn. • The project was championed within the former Honduran National Government by the First Lady of Honduras. • Children bring the information learned as part of this project to their parents, so it is expected to benefit the entire household. Public information sessions have been provided in each community.

Both men and women attached to the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa have been involved in project monitoring and implementation. Both men and women from the Rotary Club of Petawawa have been corresponding and meeting with the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa.

Environmental impact: Summarize the environmental impact of your project, including: • any positive environmental results achieved, or expected in the future • any possible negative environmental results that occurred, or expected in the future, and how they will be addressed • any other direct or indirect environmental issues that need to be addressed

• Human Health: This project has produced very positive effects on the nutritional level of boys and girls of elementary school age throughout Honduras through the provision of high-quality food (Table 1). It is expected that improvement of nutrition levels is reducing the occurrence of disease and improving the ability of school children to learn. This project has also likely resulted in reduced malnutrition of entire families, as the information was brought home and

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applied by their parents. These skills will also positively benefit the health of future generations. • Socio-economic Conditions: Provision of food to students has reduced pressure on family budgets. Therefore, more money was available within families for other items. When these skills are taken home, this project leads to sustainability through food production in households across Francisco Morazan, Honduras. Since students are learning to grow crops known to grow successfully in the area, this increases the probability of success. • Current Use of Land and Resources: Each plot is being sustained through use of drip irrigation, which optimizes water use. Each plot is being used for food production and hands- on training of elementary school students. The size of each plot is not large (with a minimum size of 20 m2 per plot). Instead, this project represents many small plots, rather than few, large- scale agricultural plots. Therefore, it has not had a significant influence on the ecology of a given area. In addition, non-persistent pesticides are only used if necessary. • Cultural Heritage: This project is contributing to the cultural heritage in rural communities across Honduras through learning and application of basic agricultural skills. Publicity Give a short narrative indicating any publicity, media relations, etc. for this project, including recognition of CRCID/CIDA as a contributor.

• In Honduras, the project is well known, and during the former government web pages describing the involvement of Rotary and CRCID were on the First Lady’s web site. • In Canada, the project was mentioned several times in different papers in the Pembroke and Petawawa region, including mention of the Rotary Clubs of Petawawa, Tegucigalpa, the Rotary Foundation and CRCID. • In Honduras, Rotary and CRCID identification was provided at various of the sites. • In Canada, the Rotary Club of Petawawa website has a full description of the project, with a specific paragraph on CRCID involvement, links to the CRCID website, and will also include this final report. (see http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxProgramHome/programhome.aspx?cid=500&pid=3343)