COCO’s Schools for Life model focuses on developing sustainable, quality, education in remote communities. The model incorporates six core elements which are Shelter, Power, Food, Water and Sanitation, Sport and Recreation, and Entrepreneurship.
Agriculture projects help the partners to develop the elements of Food and Entrepreneurship, as well as increasing the resilience and sustainability of the programmes.
COCO also invests in Sustainable Agriculture Training for the community so that parents and carers can develop food security and an additional source of income to pay for their children's education.
Though our partners in Kenya have already made a significant amount of progress with their agriculture projects, each has identified a number of future priorities, including:
School Gardens
School gardens are necessary for supporting the schools’ delivery of the new Competency Based Curriculum in Kenya.
Creating school gardens at Maasai Academy and Mercy Primary School will support the schools’ delivery of the new Competency Based Curriculum.
This curriculum promotes students’ practical application of knowledge and skills.
Lessons in the school gardens will help them to become creative and critical thinkers, and also secure employment in agriculture after they graduate if they wish.
Drought Resistant Crops
Planting drought resistant crops reduces families’ long-term vulnerability to food insecurity. It also increases their resilience to climate change, and their capacity to enrol their children in education.
...could plant drought resistant crops for a vulnerable family of up to 12 individuals.
The crops are high yield, resistant to disease, require low inputs, and provide families with sustainable sources of income and nutritious food.
Whilst this planting reduces families’ long-term vulnerability to food insecurity, it also increases their resilience to climate change, and their capacity to enrol their children in quality education.
£22.50...
Income Generation Projects
Income generation projects help to future-proof the schools by providing an income to invest in skilled teachers, scholarships and future projects.
COCO work with our partners overseas with sustainability in mind. By developing income generation programmes at each of the schools, they can become self-sustaining.
Ideas for these projects range from poultry and fish to pigs, rabbits and bees!
Each help to secure a sustainable source of income for the school.
Sustainable Agriculture Training
Sustainable Agriculture Training helps individuals to lift themselves and their community out of poverty, and enables them to send their children to school.
...could provide Sustainable Agriculture Training to one individual living within a vulnerable community.
Over 300 women have already received this training and seen a 725% increase in their income after 1 year!
The training provides individuals with techniques such crop diversification, organic manure for fertilisation, and planting trees for water retention. This helps them to lift themselves and their community out of poverty, and enables them to send their children to school.
£75...
Additional Agricultural Land
Sustainable Agriculture Training in Bwayi, Kenya could be extended to more individuals if additional land is purchased. The extra space could also be used by previous recipients of the training.
Purchasing 3 additional acres of land in Bwayi would provide space for delivering even more vital Sustainable Agriculture Training.
It would also enable Niaver CBO to rent parcels of land to previous training recipients at a fair price, protecting them from exploitative temporary farm contracts.