Thanks to the project “SAFE FOOD, SAVE LIVES”, funded by Mediafriends Onlus and implemented by Istituto Oikos in partnership with OEA, we are currently working in 18 primary schools to improve the food security and hygiene conditions of about 8000 children between 6 and 16 years old.
To enhance the schools’ state of hygiene and sanitation, we are building new latrines in 6 primary schools and rehabilitating the existing ones in the remaining 12 schools. Meanwhile, we are organizing an awareness campaign in order to sensitize the people on the proper hygienic behaviours to avoid diseases and nutritional problems.
Primary school teachers, parents and village representatives are attending practical trainings on many different strategies that they can adopt to improve their daily life, such as the preparation of a home fruit tree nursery and vegetables gardens, the construction of low cost water harvesting systems in the ground to store rain water and the practice of vegetable drying as a food preservation strategy and income generating activity.
The project will also start a small honey production centre at community level and fruit orchards at school level that will significantly reduce the problem of vitamin-deprived diets.