A communal garden has long been a dream of the group for the barangay. This project, we believe, will address malnutrition among families by enabling them to serve and eat healthy meals using homegrown organic vegetables. It will also allow them to cut their expenses by growing their own food. That way, they can spend their money on other necessities such as healthcare. The benefits of a communal garden is likely to extend beyond food security and health. Family and social relationships can also be strengthened since the members of the community provide advice and support to help overcome challenges and all receive the benefits the gardening project offers. During our last exposure, we presented the proposal for an extension of the communal garden to the barangay council. A 500 square meter land just behind the day care was allotted, along with their full support for the cause. This exposure, we were able to talk to Mr. Larry Lumosad, a resident from our barangay who has won several awards due to his farming expertise. He has been recognized not only in a regional scale, but nationally as well. He expressed his willingness to help out in the making of the communal garden since it would also be for the benefit of the barangay and an opportunity for the residents to learn about organic gardening. He advised us to do seeding in his greenhouse rather than plant the seeds directly in the garden. So we gathered up all the seeds that we have solicited and we went to his greenhouse to start planting. It was such a fun experience for all of us because it was our first time to see an actual greenhouse. We put seeds of bell pepper, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, and pechay in different trays. The mung beans, squash and cassava were to be planted directly on the soil of the garden, while the others seeds were reserved to be planted some other time on its suited season. cause after all, Sir Larry knew best. Three weeks later, and the seeds have finally grown into small plants. We informed the community residents beforehand that it was time to start gardening. Everybody was so participative and eager to contribute, bringing with them their share of kawayan to help in fencing and beautifying the garden. And so the planting and sowing and constructing began. The men of the group were working on the fence and carrying heavy loads, while the women did the land preparation and planting. The different plants were and seeds were divided amongst 5 groups, and they were appointed to take care of their own part in garden. It was such a beautiful sight to see-- their smiles, their cooperation, their laughs on occasional jokes being made. Their concern for our dirty clothes and hands trying to help. It made us feel truly blessed to be around such beautiful and kind people. Overall, around 100 residents were able to contribute to the success of Garden N.B. A communal garden may seem like a simple project, but it goes a long way towards eliminating malnutrition and allowing avenues for livelihood among families in our beloved community. Aisha Som-IV
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Annually, the Team NB has been celebrating World Toilet Day since the launching of Team NB’s “Bayanihan sa Palikuran” Program. For the past years, the Team observed the World Toilet Day, which is celebrated every 19th of November, by distributing a total of 60 water-sealed toilet bowls to households who did not have any proper toilet facility. Other activities included were proper sanitation school campaign, Handwashing Campaign, Day Care Kids Day, Mr. and Ms. Clean Earth and series of lectures. This year, the team decided for a School-Wide Sanitation Campaign held on November 20 in New Barili Elementary School, which was, by the way, a day later than the supposed World Toilet Day in order to bring it to a school day. The campaign was composed of synchronized room-to-room Lectures and fun games. The first in the list was the lecture on proper Toilet Facility and its importance. It was partnered with on-the-spot poster making contest. The kids surely had an amazing time showcasing their creativity and artistic side. Next lecture was about Handwashing and its 5 moments. As always, a Handwashing demonstration was done, to the tune of the popular nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Another activity was the chorus singing of a Sanitation jingle. To maximize the time and effort of all parties, there was also a lecture on Proper Waste Segregation and a fun game of simulating waste segragation. And last but not the least, the NB Team aimed for a striking experience thus a human formation of the word “TOILET” was organized as the highlight of the event, with everyone in squatting position to emphasize on the #bigsquat in commemoration of the World Toilet Day. Yet again, it was a great feeling to witness the smiles of the children and we felt more inspired to do the things that we do knowing that our activities painted those smiles. We had so much fun interacting with the kid and we hope that their generation will stop the chain of open defecation in the community and promote proper health sanitation. Shah Som-IV |
MissionWe are all for a healthier New Barili! Archives
July 2018
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