By Sue-Ann Wayow
AN initiative to provide soil, seeds and education to create home gardens has been expanded.
Civil society organisation Kids in Need of Direction (KIND) has partnered with Bmobile for this expansion.
Founded in 1996 by Karina Jardine-Scott, the overall aim was to help meet the material needs of children and families in the East Port-of-Spain/ Laventille area to enrich and develop these communities.
Bmobile stated in a release on Tuesday, “Given the economic downturn and public health measures brought on by Covid-19, they have expanded their Plant What You Eat program to over 16 communities across the country from La Fillette and Blanchisseuse to Beetham Gardens as well as Cascade/St Anns.
The initiative provides soil, seeds, and education to create home gardens in small spaces, container gardens, and techniques in composting, among numerous other touchpoints. Overall, it is designed to build self-efficiency in communities and resiliency in low-income households.”
General Manager Shared Services at TSTT Gerard Cooper , said, “Our commitment to organisations like KIND is to ensure that they are capable of carrying out this good work that deeply and richly impacts not just the families that they work with, but also extends on a greater macro-economic scale to impact the country positively too.”
Jardine-Scott said, “It is a very simple way to help people learn how to plant what they consume, and it encourages recycling and healthier lifestyles too. Recognising the beauty and gifts of rain and sunshine that we have on this remarkable island where you can grow almost anything easily is something that we want to share with our attendees. Plus, in these times, nature offers some mental sanity and energy too. And this is an experience that can be shared with neighbours or with other family members too.”
The program is expected to benefit close to 500 persons across 80 families. The second phase will aim to develop kitchen gardens with another 80 to 100 families in July before moving into five schools.
In 2020, KIND adapted to the needs of society and collected and delivered over 7000 hampers, including food supplies, stationery and clothing, which assisted over 27,000 people at the height of the 2020 quarantine period in T&T.
The organisation is also committed to teaching children to be kind and caring even in seemingly small acts, Jardine-Scott said.
Cooper encouraged citizens to get involved either in their own way or through KIND. “You can sponsor the development of a child from as little as $100 per month as an individual or $800 as a corporate sponsor or you can donate seeds and seedlings to this program too. Our message to our customers is to join us in working towards a brighter future, post-pandemic,” he said.
KIND can be contacted via their website at kindkid.org
