Health and Education - Regional Program IDAY EN · plants (fruits and vegetables) with high...

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Raising voices for African education A voice for education in Africa

REGIONAL CAMPAIGNS

Education and health: School gardens and canteens

THE PROJECT

For several years, IDAY has been integrating health into its education programs. Indeed, in tropical regions, the many serious infectious diseases are a source of absenteeism and loss of cognitive abilities of students, which is considered a major cause of school failure. This campaign aims to include health in the education programs through the establishment of school gardens with plants of high nutritional and medicinal value in schools. Indeed, as the latest report published by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) shows, health is an important lever for education:

• Health interventions for vulnerable children lead to 2.5 years of additional schooling; • deworming and prevention of malaria or malaria at school can improve school performance by

25% and 62% respectively; and • The provision of school meals, in addition to reducing the prevalence of anaemia among young

girls by 20%, increases enrolment by 9% and the duration of schooling by 8%. Thus, since 2011, IDAY integrates health in its education programs. The IDAY network has many long-lasting experiences of setting up school vegetable gardens in Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Tanzania, Togo). It is on the basis of these experiences and all the lessons learned by our network that we are convinced of the sustainability of the approach.




CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIESSCHOOL GARDENS AND CANTEENSA global approach (education, health, environment, community development) to combat the cycle of school dropout and poverty, through a local solution: the ecological school garden.3 main axes :

• Improving the health of schoolchildren and teachers ; • Improving the quality of education in schools ; • To spread the ecological school garden method.

to help improve school attendance and performance. Health and NutritionFirst of all, the school garden aims to improve the nutritional status of the students. It is composed of plants (fruits and vegetables) with high nutritional value (such as moringa and soya). Thanks to these cultures, the school can offer the pupils a school canteen and thus ensure nutritional meals. The distribution of meals at school increases student attendance and therefore positively influences the level of education. In addition, in some cases, the school is equipped with low-energy ovens, reducing the amount of wood needed by up to 50% (thus reducing deforestation and CO2 emissions), preserving the health of the stoves as well as the time needed to prepare the meals (reducing the cost of meal preparation by half cf. IDAY- Kenya experience). Secondly, the school garden aims to reduce tropical infectious diseases through the use of medicinal plants. These plants contribute to the reduction of sick pupils and thus to the rate of school absenteeism.Quality of teaching

The school garden is used as a pedagogical tool: teachers integrate practical exercises to be applied in the school garden in relation to the subjects of mathematics, economics, ecology and biology, as well as languages (for example: calculation of surface area, buying and selling products, ...). Teachers will be trained in the optimal pedagogical use of school gardens. Enseignants Sans Frontières is associated with this component (on the basis of an established partnership agreement).The children learn how to cultivate and harvest seasonal produce. The school garden is not limited to teaching the benefits of the plants in the garden, but also introduces the pupils to the use of other plants, for example: baobab powder, which is rich in iron.It is estimated that 70% of medical care in Africa is provided in the form of community-based medicine according to traditional teachings. However, this local knowledge tends to disappear through the marketing of imported drugs, which often remain inaccessible to vulnerable populations.




Introduction to environmental issues

It is also a place to learn about respect for the natural environment through its immediate discovery: respect for natural cycles, the benefits of natural fertilizers (versus pesticides and chemicals), etc. It is the compost that is used, not the chemicals. For example, the treatment against insects is made with neem seeds according to endogenous ecological techniques. The land is improved with organic manures. Energy-saving ovens are installed in the school canteen to have an impact on deforestation.DUO for a Change

IDAY has started a program called "DUO for a Change" to connect schools within the IDAY network that are developing a vegetable garden and are interested in environmental issues. Teachers and students are invited to join a private Facebook group. In this group, they find documents, videos, didactic activities in order to take advantage of the school garden to address themes such as biodiversity, respect for the environment, healthy food, medicinal plants, etc... They are also invited to share their activities in order to inspire others.Belgian schools are invited to join the group if they show an interest in this theme.Dissemination and reproduction

Finally, the school garden builds bridges between the school and the surrounding community through the exchange of experience and knowledge. Students bring the knowledge they have learned in the school garden into their homes and foster the vitality of their entire community. These bridges improve the acceptability of the school to parents and encourage the enrolment of children in school. Financial empowerment Eventually, if the production exceeds the school canteen's needs, the surplus collected becomes a source of funding for the school. A specific fact sheet on how to collect and sell the surplus has been developed in order to help and accompany the educational teams.Objectives and impacts at 3 and 5 yearsOverall goal: To contribute to improved school attendance and performance through the establishment of ecological school gardens in sub-Saharan Africa.Specific objectives :

• To improve the health of schoolchildren and teachers in the targeted schools. • To improve the quality of education in the targeted schools. • Disseminate the ecological school garden method to other schools in the 14 participating

countries.In Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, Niger, Uganda, DRC, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo.Expected results in each school (estimated on the basis of the results obtained in schools already benefiting from the programme) :

• 30% increase in the rate of academic achievement (promotion to the next grade) ; • 20% increase in success in national exams ; • 20% reduction in school dropouts ; • Reduction in cases of absence from school due to malaria by almost 90% and by almost 40%

due to other infectious tropical diseases; • Reduction of school health expenditure by at least 40% ; • The students learned to master the cultivation methods of plants with high nutritional value and

medicinal plants;




• The students have acquired a taste for gardening and nature protection; • Teachers and school education officials are convinced of the benefits of the school garden and

are determined to advocate for its introduction in all schools in the country; • Local and national authorities support the initiative to disseminate the ecological school garden

method. The implementation of a school vegetable garden project is planned over a period of 3 years (see below Implementation Steps). Thus, the overall strategy of the network is based on a 5-year plan to develop school gardens in all participating countries. The 3-year objective is to implement school vegetable gardens in at least 10 of the 14 countries and that IDAY coalitions have started advocacy activities with their authorities for the dissemination of the method on a wider scale.The 5-year objective is for all 14 countries that are part of the Health and Education strategy to have developed sustainable school vegetable gardens and their authorities recognize the benefits of the method by supporting and disseminating the initiative.Beneficiaries Of the 14 countries, the coalitions target 298 schools and nearly 168,000 students.Directly, 6,000 teachers will be integrated into the program.Indirectly, nearly 200,000 families will benefit from their children's learning through the vegetable garden.Targeted social change

The strategy participates in various social changes:• The fulfilment of fundamental social human rights :

The core of the strategy is to ensure quality education for all (ODD 4), combat malnutrition and undernutrition (ODD 2) and improve the health and well-being of students and the surrounding community (ODD 3). Indirectly, it contributes to achieving the following SDOs: 1 (no poverty), 5 (gender equality), 7 (clean energy) and 15 (preserving terrestrial ecosystems).See details in annex Strategy.

• The Expansion of Democracy :The local populations are led to discuss with the authorities in a will to build a common project for the good of all.The various sections of the population are represented and together they participate in the success of a project of public interest.

• Respect for the environment :The ecological school gardens set up by IDAY follow environmentally friendly processes (water management, no synthetic inputs, ...). Beneficiaries are made aware of the need to preserve nature and their environment.

• Gender equality and the fight against inequalities :Youth clubs contribute to gender equality, the fight against inequalities and the promotion of democratic processes, with every young person having the same responsibilities and voice regardless of age, gender or cultural background.Implementation steps for social changeIDAY's ecological school garden projects in a given region follow a more or less similar process, adapted according to the specificities and context. They are included in a three-year calendar most of the time to




allow the beneficiaries to be trained and to fully acquire the necessary knowledge to ensure the sustainability of the vegetable garden at the end of the project. It also allows for monitoring and evaluation over a period of time long enough to see changes and collect sufficient data to inform national advocacy.




Step Description

Identification, information and involvement of stakeholders

Selection of schools according to specific criteria (presence of a garden plot, schooling and participation of girls, etc.).Information for teachers, students and parents/communityMeetings with representatives of legal bodies and authoritiesOften, a Consortium/Steering Committee is created at this time to monitor the project.

Preparation of the school garden

Preparing the groundPurchase of equipment and seedsIf necessary, establishment of the irrigation system (optional depending on the region and country).

Creation of youth clubs In order to look after the school gardens, it is customary to set up youth clubs with pupils who wish to take on a particular responsibility. Young people will also be the vectors for disseminating cultivation practices and the use of medicinal plants to their families and entourage. Young people will participate in student exchanges with other schools to share good practice. Gender equality within these clubs is strongly encouraged.

Creation of databases and performance indicators (c.f. Expected results below)

The database of outcome indicators will be established at the beginning of the project, in order to refine the data available at the national level and to obtain specific data.A questionnaire drawn up by a scientific committee enables data to be collected with sufficient rigour for possible publication.The results obtained will feed into advocacy with local authorities for an extension of the project to other schools.

Medical Tests Medical tests are conducted before and after the establishment of the school gardens on 10% of the target population (students and teachers). A database for biomedical monitoring of schoolchildren is set up. The tests are carried out by the local government health services, in close collaboration with the associated Ministries.

Setting up school canteens and installation of ovens

Some schools complement their school garden project with the creation of a school canteen because the distribution of meals at school increases pupil attendance and therefore positively influences the level of education.The canteens are equipped with ovens built with local materials and often with low energy consumption. These ovens make it possible to reduce the amount of wood needed by almost 50% (direct impact on deforestation and CO2 emissions), preserving the health of the stoves as well as the time needed to prepare meals (reduction in the cost of meal preparation by half according to data collected in Kenya).




Monitoring, awareness-raising and capacity building

Pupils, students and teachers are supported in planning the actions they will develop.Communities are sensitized on issues related to education and health.Training is provided by IDAY and its partners.

Advocacy Advocacy campaigns are being conducted with governments to promote ecological school gardens and school canteens to expand the programme to other schools in the country. The coalition also disseminates the results of medical tests before and after the generalization of treatment in schools and the results obtained on the quality of education.

Stakeholders and target audienceStakeholders :

• School personnel: headmaster, pedagogical supervisors;• Local authorities, education and health services ;• Pupils and parents, community (neighbourhood, village, ...) ;• Expert members of the IDAY network and its partners (Teachers without borders, ...).

Target audience :

• Pupils and teaching staff of the school ; • Parents and Community ; • The responsible ministries (health, education, ...) at national and regional level; • The on-site representation of WHO, FAO, WFP, CARITAS, and other bodies that organize

school gardens. Monitoring and evaluation

Each project carried out by IDAY is monitored and evaluated by a local team, with the support of the Secretariat.At the start of the projects, a detailed activity plan for each school is drawn up. Monitoring is then done at three 3 levels:

• The general coordination of the programme by the central office of the national coalition IDAY ; • The Consortium/Steering Committee, which in principle meets every month; • The youth clubs are responsible at the level of each school for the follow-up of the school

garden.




Precise measurement tools are applied to evaluate the achievement of results and its impact: these are medical tests carried out at the beginning and then at the end of the project, according to a methodology proven in various countries. On the other hand, a questionnaire is filled in, to know exactly the result indicators we want to measure (school absenteeism and causes, health expenses and main items, school performance rate, success rate in national exams, drop-out rate, wood consumption in school canteens and costs of meal preparation...). Data from the beginning of the project are compared with the same indicators at the end of the project. Qualitative data are also collected at the end of the project to assess the involvement of students, teachers, communities and authorities, and the impact on the lives of the beneficiaries, through questionnaires and interviews. These qualitative data are developed and collected by an external evaluator.The evaluation feeds into the advocacy of IDAY coalitions, which independently of school garden projects call on their governments to disseminate the results obtained.Viability and sustainabilitySustainability requires the involvement of several levels of beneficiaries/stakeholders: involving children in connection with their families and communities is essential for the long-term success of the project; parents, particularly through parent-teacher associations, must be involved and buy into the process. In fact, there is a specific result on their participation. More broadly, the community as a whole is targeted. For this purpose, women's groups can be involved in the management and implementation of the school canteen, as well as in the maintenance of school gardens. In concrete terms, the canteenwomen are drawn from women's groups, to ensure that the project is inclusive and guarantees ownership in the long term. The women of the communities are the best vectors for the long-term integration of plants with high nutritional and medicinal value into daily use. The experience also shows that the significant results obtained with the ecological school gardens federate the communities around the project, increase the acceptability of the children's schooling and radiate into the other surrounding communities. The target populations have a craze for the use of endogenous plants and medicinal infusions because they have few resources for pharmacies. To ensure self-financing, surpluses from the school gardens are used to generate some income for the school.To sustain the approach, 10% of the seeds are saved by the youth clubs to be passed on to other schools in their region, while disseminating good practices.Finally, the sustainability of the project is also envisaged through the involvement and advocacy of the authorities, so that measures are taken at the level of the departments or even at the national level to spread the ecological school garden method throughout the country. The coalitions seek to convince the authorities based on the impact in terms of school performance and the health of the targeted populations. Cost of a school garden: between 2,600€ and 7,800€ of which nearly 30% is covered locally.(variation due to project components: number of pupils, canteens, irrigation ...)




School gardens - IDAY Network - 2019Previous projects from 2010:

475.000€ outside financing - 261 schools

New projects 2019:

820.000€ - 304 schools + 4 pilot centre

Benin: 19 schools +1 pilot centerIrrigation, medical testsGrand total: 113.734€ Outside financing: 92.433€Already financed: 92.433€Balance: 0€

Ivory Coast: +10 schoolsIrrigation, medical tests, kitchenGrand total: 71.523€ Outside financing: 39.539€Already financed: 0€Balance: 39.539€

Senegal: +4 schools + 1 pilot centreIrrigation, medical testsGrand total: 63.547€ Outside financing: 39.402€Already financed: 0€Balance: 39.402€

Burkina Faso: 17 schools +15 schoolsIrrigation, medical tests, kitchenGrand total: 148.776€ Outside financing: 102.872€Already financed: 0€Balance: 102.872€

Ghana: +10 schoolsIrrigation, medical tests, kitchenGrand total: 58.985€ Outside financing: 39.143€Already financed: 0€Balance: 39.143€

Togo: 2 schools + 84 schoolsIrrigation, medical testsGrand total: 191.004€ Outside financing: 131.381€Already financed: 2.407€ Balance: 128.974€

Cameroon: 48 schoolsIrrigation, medical testsGrand total: 155.059€ Outside financing: 82.004€Already financed: 82.004€Balance: 0€

Uganda: 5 schools + 24 schoolsMedical tests, exchange programGrand total: 71.905€ Outside financing: 53.900€Already financed: 6.430€Balance: 47.470€

Burundi: 17 schools + 5 schoolsIrrigation, kitchenGrand total: 11.516€ Outside financing: 11.516€Already financed: 11.516€Balance: 0€

DRC Kinshasa: 4 schools + 15 schoolsMedical tests, exchange programGrand total: 34.178€ Outside financing: 28.733€Already financed: 8.000€Balance: 20.733€

DRC Kivu: + 4 schoolsKitchen, exchange programGrand total: 13.198€Outside financing: 10.330€Already financed: 6.384€Balance: 3.946€

Tanzania Kigoma: + 9 schoolsTests médicaux, échangeGrand total: 31.994€ Outside financing: 27.798€Already financed: 0€Balance: 27.798€

Tanzania Zanzibar: + 1 schoolIrrigationGrand total: 31.537€ Outside financing: 25.046€Already financed: 3.500€Balance: 21.546€

Kenya: 146 schools + 6 schools (Massaï)Irrigation, kitchen, exchange programGrand total: 56.095€ Outside financing: 52.381€Already financed: 0€Balance: 52.381€

Tanzania Massaï: + 4 schoolsIrrigation, kitchen, exchange programGrand total: 65.893€ Outside financing: 21.529€Already financed: 0€Balance: 21.529€

Tanzania Nyaruguzu (refugee camp): + 16 schoolsKitchen, medical tests, exchange programGrand total: 59.766€ Outside financing: 55.848€Already financed: 5.594€Balance: 50.254€

Legend:Existing projects implemented+ new projects waiting for funds

Niger: + 12 schoolsGrand total: 158.720 € Outside financing: 100.832 €Already financed: 0 €Balance: 100.832€

Guinée: + 18 schoolsIrrigation, medical tests, kitchenGrand total: 162.664€ Outside financing: 129.249€Already financed: 9000€Balance: 120.249€




ARTEMISIA ANNUA IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MALARIAIn addition to the training of young people in the cultivation of the plant within the framework of school gardens and the exchange of good practices between them, 3 parallel actions are necessary.State of play

After having succeeded in reducing the incidence of malaria worldwide by more than half, WHO acknowledges in its latest report a significant resurgence of recorded cases (+10%) in many countries, mainly in Africa. Its current strategy based on curative treatment with artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), insecticide-treated nets and early diagnosis is extremely costly and its continuation depends on a massive increase in foreign aid far beyond what is available. The WHO estimates that USD 7.5 billion would be needed annually to free the world from malaria when only USD 2.7 billion is available. In addition, cases of resistance to insecticides and ACTs range from Asia to Africa.Clearly, the current strategy has reached its limits and many African authorities recognize that at this rate, the United Nations targets for sustainable development in the fight against malaria (in particular MDG 3.1) will not be met by 2030.Artemisia

Artemisia annua is a medicinal plant from the Chinese pharmacopoeia and has been used for more than 2000 years in Asia to treat malaria and as a wellness plant.In 2010, an agent from IDAY-Kenya identified a cultivar in the gardens of Kenyatta University that is adapted to the African climate and not sensitive to photoperiodism. Its dissemination and use have been greatly facilitated following trials conducted by Professor Guy Mergeai of the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Liège, particularly in Senegal.Artemisia annua is the basis of the current Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) drugs: the artemisinin molecule, which has been proven to be effective against malaria, is extracted from it. However, the plant is a true polytherapy. Indeed, Professor Pamela Weathers, a researcher at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (USA), cites about 10 ingredients in the plant that are believed to be active against malaria. Pierre Lutgen, Doctor of Chemistry in Luxembourg, believes that there could be even more of them, which would explain the wide spectrum of diseases treated by the plant. Artemisia annua contains antioxidants, essential oils, flavonoids, zinc, all known for their effectiveness against infections. Artemisia annua belongs to the Asteraceae family which contains several medicinal plants. Artemisia afra, a species native to Africa, is also effective against malaria and does not contain artemisinin - the molecule on which ACTs are based - which confirms the polytherapeutic nature of Artemisia annua. Surveys on the use and cultivation of Artemisia annua

A survey on the prophylactic effects of Artemisia annua against malaria in schools having introduced the plant in their school gardens is currently being conducted mainly in Kenya and Burkina-Faso which have developed school gardens allowing the use of the plant preventively against malaria for more than a year. The prevalence of malaria in these schools is compared to an equivalent number of schools without the plant.Cost: 28 000 €.




Depending on the results obtained, a second survey would aim at interviewing users, practitioners and growers of Artemisia as well as authorities on their level of knowledge of the plant, their use (preventive and/or curative) and their results in 13 African countries members of the IDAY network. This mapping will highlight the extent to which the plant is already grown and consumed in Africa.Cost: 150 000€.International research in partnership with Kenyatta University

Numerous studies exist mainly on the use of the plant in curative treatment, but no study of international level and in accordance with WHO criteria (double-blind comparative tests) covers the preventive use of the plant (prophylaxis), which is essential because of the uncertainties that continue to hang over the effectiveness of vaccines. Treatment by plant is subject to the same obligations as when a new pharmaceutical treatment is placed on the market. Kenyatta University (Nairobi) and IDAY therefore propose to conduct such clinical trials in Kenya with the support of various international experts.The clinical trials will be conducted in 3 parts: (1) a pilot test of the preventive effect of Artemisia annua tea on 300 pupils in 6 schools in compliance with the WHO's strict standards for the treatment of fatal diseases; (2) analysis of the repellent effect of the plant compared to the absence of mosquito nets in 4 prisons (generally without mosquito nets); (3) based on the results of (1) and (2), combined treatment of the repellent effects of the plant and preventive effects of the tea compared to the results of the separate effects. Subsequent tests could be conducted on pregnant women and newborns currently not treated preventively because of the toxicity of available drugs. At this stage, only parts (1) and (2) are considered.Cost: 585.000 €WHO Symposium and Inquiry

The Minister of Health of Burkina Faso has proposed to organize a symposium that will bring together WHO representatives, African Ministers of Health, researchers and practitioners of Artemisia. The aim is to get WHO to enact the conditions under which Artemisia annua can be integrated into official malaria programmes in Africa.Cost: 90 000€. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information about this programme as well as the scientific dossier on Artemisia annua can be found on the page https://iday.org/education-sante-jardins-cantines-scolaires/. Any further information can be requested from Nathalie Schots on 00 32 479 329 829 or [email protected].

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