STEM Education in Botswana: Girls Getting Geeky

The perma-garden methodology is an economic strengthening activity for caregivers and parents of the orphaned and vulnerable children. This allows for them to produce food throughout the year by teaching them the natural principles behind productive gardening and matching those principles to best practices. This allows them to feed their families independently and produce for the market to earn an income.

Designing the garden

These plots are made in way that water use is limited. The soil holds moisture for a long time since the mix of ingredients supports the soil to produce enough carbon. The caregivers first measure the garden to the size they want and turn over the dirt. They add manure, wood ashes, pounded egg shells, add fertilizer and cover up with the soil. The next stage is the building of ridges in the garden then more lightly sprinkled charcoal, pounded egg shells and fertilizer is added on top. After maintaining this for a few days the caregivers plant their seeds of choice. The carbon is important also for the growth of plants.

Benefits

A total of 189 (Female 99; Male 90) were reached with this evidence based food security design. This includes the caregivers and their children who have been impacted by the gardens. Our families sell these vegetables to benefit them economically. When marketing the produce they also use the sales point as a place to impart information on nutrition.

• Permagardening in Kgatleng (PDF)
  

The MoCookie Company (Mochudi Cookie) is part of Stepping Stones International Income Generation Program, where the participants build their own companies and learn about marketing strategies and the meaning of entrepreneurship. The company bakes every Friday and sells the cookies, traditionally oats and raisins cookies to the staff, participants and/or visitors at the centre. The objective is, besides experiencing what it’s like to be part of a company with spending, and profits, is to give the participants a space where they can learn about production, where they can improve their concentration, efficiency and cooperation skills in a team work space, being the kitchen. The German Embassy donated an oven for baking cookies in mass. SSI has approached Holiday Garden Inn who are interested in selling the cookies in the shop. The MoCookie Company needs to look into packaging and marketing. The children participating in the MoCookie Company are experiencing a form of success and self efficiency in a different environment than in school, where they need to use their creativity, analytical skills and learn business. A lot of these participants come from economically challenged homesteads, so the funds they raise from the cookie company will be shared at the end of year and they will use the funds to purchase their own basic needs, for example, a school uniform or shoes.