Age
10
Country of Residence
Nigeria
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
The inspiration for ECO-GREEN PROJECT came from my personal experience and what I have observed among learners in my school. There was a time when my family faced financial difficulties and struggled to provide the school materials I needed, including textbooks, exercise books, socks, uniforms, and a school bag. This experience helped me understand how difficult it can be for a child to learn without the necessary materials. I then remembered a Teach For Nigeria alumnus who planted tomatoes on the school compound and sold the harvest to support learners with their educational needs. This showed me that something as simple as growing tomatoes could make a real difference in children's lives. When I learnt that the tomato farm was no longer operating, I began to see an opportunity. What if we could revive the farm, grow tomatoes, and use the proceeds from selling the harvest to support learners whose families cannot afford essential school materials? That was how ECO-GREEN PROJECT was born. I believe children can be part of solving problems in their communities. Through this project, I want to combine sustainable farming with educational support so that more learners can have the materials they need to learn, participate, and thrive.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I plan to encourage other learners to join ECO-GREEN PROJECT by sharing my story and explaining how we can use farming to help children get the materials they need for school. I will speak with my classmates about the importance of education, sustainable farming, and helping one another. I will invite interested learners to participate in planting and caring for the tomato crops so that we can work together to achieve our goal. I also want to involve teachers, parents, and community members by sharing our plans and asking for their ideas, farming knowledge, and support. As the project develops, I will share updates about our activities, the growth of the tomatoes, our harvests, and the learning materials we are able to provide. I hope that seeing what we achieve will inspire more people to support the project and encourage other schools to use their available resources to solve problems in their communities. I want other children to know that we do not have to be adults to make a difference. With a good idea, teamwork, and determination, we can help create positive change.
How many people are on your team?
15
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
ECO-GREEN PROJECT is currently at an early stage, and I am currently working with 15 people (My Teacher, learners and two Teach For Nigeria Fellow) to turn my idea into action. Although the revived farm has not yet started generating income for the project, the idea is inspired by a successful example of how farming can help provide educational materials for learners. My goal is to revive the school tomato farm and use the proceeds from selling the harvest to support learners who lack essential school materials. I also want to encourage more children to see farming as a valuable way to solve problems in their communities. I will measure the project's impact by tracking the number of tomato plants grown, the quantity of tomatoes harvested and sold, the income generated, and the number of learners who receive educational materials. My hope is to help more children participate confidently in school while building a project that can continue supporting learners over time.
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
ECO - GREEN PROJECT is a learner-led initiative to revive a school tomato farm and use the proceeds to provide essential learning materials for learners who cannot afford them, promoting both environmental sustainability and access to education.
Project title
Eco - Green Project
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many learners in my school struggle to get essential learning materials such as textbooks, exercise books, school bags, uniforms, and socks because their families cannot afford them. Without these materials, learning can become difficult, and some children may feel discouraged or left behind. This problem matters to me because I have experienced financial difficulties in my own family. I know how it feels when getting the things you need for school is a challenge. I have also seen that other learners face similar difficulties. At the same time, our school has a tomato farm that is no longer operating. I believe we can turn this unused opportunity into something that helps our school and community. By reviving the farm, we can grow tomatoes, generate income, and use the proceeds to support learners who need educational materials.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, my goal is to establish a productive school farm in my school and expand the initiative to other schools in my community by empowering learners to start similar projects. I want to build a sustainable initiative that will continue to make a difference in my community by addressing the challenges learners face in accessing essential educational materials. My first step is to work with my teachers and school community to prepare the land and revive the school farm, starting with tomato cultivation. I will seek guidance from teachers and people with farming experience to learn how to plant, care for, and harvest tomatoes successfully. I also plan to involve other learners in the farming activities so we can develop practical agricultural skills, teamwork, and a sense of responsibility for our environment. As the tomatoes grow and are harvested, I hope to sell the produce and use the proceeds to provide essential learning materials, such as exercise books, textbooks, school bags, uniforms, and socks, for learners who cannot afford them. I will work with my teachers to identify learners who need support and ensure that the resources are distributed fairly. I also plan to keep records of our farming activities, sales, and the learning materials provided so we can monitor our progress and measure the project's impact.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes ECO-GREEN PROJECT different is that it connects a school farm directly to children's education. Rather than depending only on donations, we will grow tomatoes and use the income from selling them to provide essential learning materials for learners who need them. The idea is also personal to me because I understand the challenges that come with not having everything needed for school. I want to turn that experience into an opportunity to help others. ECO-GREEN PROJECT will make productive use of an existing school space while teaching learners about agriculture, environmental responsibility, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. I believe the innovative part is using what we can grow in our own school to help meet the educational needs of children in our community. If successful, this approach could inspire other schools to explore how their available land and local resources can help support learners.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
My solution is to revive my school's tomato farm through ECO-GREEN PROJECT. We will grow tomatoes, care for the plants, harvest the tomatoes, and sell them. The money raised will be used to provide essential learning materials for learners whose families cannot afford them. I am currently working with my school, teachers and fellow learners to prepare the farm, obtain tomato seedlings, maintain the crops, and manage the harvest. The project will combine sustainable agriculture with educational support. Instead of allowing the school farm to remain unused, we will make it productive and use its proceeds to help children learn better. I want ECO-GREEN PROJECT to become a sustainable way of supporting learners while teaching children the value of farming, teamwork, and community service.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I am the project lead of ECO-GREEN PROJECT. My role is to share the idea, help plan the activities, encourage other learners to participate, and work with my teachers to bring the project to life. I plan to involve fellow learners in planting, watering, weeding, monitoring the tomato plants, harvesting, and creating awareness about the project. We will work together, share responsibilities, listen to one another's ideas, and make decisions as a team.
