The urban poor do not learn about farming or sustainability, and even then, rarely have land on which they can produce their own food. As such, REACH is eager to introduce the idea of organic, home-grown vegetables to the students and families.

The REACH garden was once an overgrown piece of land at the back of the REACH site, hidden behind buildings. It is now home to a variety of organic herbs and vegetables which have been grown with love by our kitchen team. Adolescents from our Youth volunteer to support our small team to sow, nurture, and harvest the veggies each week.

Within our Health and Nutrition program, students have their BMI (Body Mass Index) recorded every 6 months. To combat malnutrition, the students with the lowest BMI receive additional produce from our garden to take home and increase their nutritional intake. The garden is successfully growing eggplant, chili, morning glory, cabbage, cucumber, spinach, bok-choy, and various herbs. This is reviewed seasonally to maximise our harvest.

To get the most out of our garden, we are also planning to turn it into an educational space where our younger students will participate in elective sessions. In these sessions, they will learn about growing different vegetables and the health benefits they provide. The formal course is still being developed, however, what has been created so far is equally educational as it is interactive and hands-on!