Educational School Gardens and Feeding Programs

School gardens at Milola schools are cultivated and managed by the Milola community to ensure that students receive regular, nutritious meals. In 2011, TPP began supporting Milola schools in building three new gardens, expanding the existing one, developing demonstration plots for educational purposes, and opening a farm account for depositing profits and purchasing supplies. When initial yields were low in 2013 and 2014, TPP arranged for an agricultural extension officer to teach improved cultivation techniques and recommend crops with higher yields. TPP also provided equipment and funded the construction of a kitchen for the Ngwenya garden in 2014.

By 2015, Milola's feeding programs were regularly feeding 1,800 school children. Maize and beans are grown in the plots to make porridge for the feeding programs, while sesame is grown and sold to raise funds for additional food and to sustain the farms. Parents, teachers, and students cultivate the farms every year while TPP purchases tools and seeds as necessary. Parents also pledge contributions of food to keep the program operating.

School committees were organized with the assistance of EQUIP Tanzania in 2018 to manage the gardens. In 2019, the committees independently secured donations of cassava for planting. TPP provided support for planting sunflower, groundnuts, and legumes in addition to maize to ensure that feeding program meals are nutrient-rich. TPP also funded the construction of fencing to safeguard the all the gardens against animal raids.