2012 april omg-tsk year 1 evaluation report...2012 april omg-tsk year 1 evaluation report oh my...

2012 April OMG-TSK YEAR 1 EVALUATION REPORT

Oh My Gulay – Tanim Sa Kinabukasan Project 1

INTRODUCTION

The Philippines has remained one of the lowest vegetable consumers in Asia,

with an annual per capita vegetable consumption of about 40 kilograms (2003). This

amount is below the recommendation of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute

(FNRI) of an annual consumption of 69 kg per capita. While this scenario can be

greatly attributed to decrease in production, some studies tell us the problem is not

just production.

One of the reasons why many Filipino adults have low consumption of

vegetables is preference for meat. Citing FNRI report (2003), since 1978, Filipinos

have become meat-eaters with an increasing trend of food from farm animal sources

from 20.3% in 1978 to 28% in 2003. In relation to this, the decline in vegetable

consumption has been found to be among the major factors in the rising incidence of

illnesses in the country. In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) said low

vegetable intake is estimated to cause some 2.7 million deaths each year, and was

among the top 10 risk factors contributing to mortality.

Looking at this picture, the Oh My Gulay! (OMG!) – Tanim sa Kinabukasan

(TSK) Program is a response to this pressing health issue. There is a big clamor to

educate children who will one day become adults and carry over the eating habits

developed from a young age. Schools and families should seize the opportunity to

educate children of healthy eating habits and the nutritive value of vegetables.

Schools are an excellent venue to inculcate in their young minds the benefit of eating

vegetables, and in the long run, embracing a healthy lifestyle in general. With this

step, we are paving the way not only to increase in vegetable consumption but to

build a healthier and brighter generation of Filipino children.



PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Oh My Gulay! (OMG!) – Tanim sa Kinabukasan (TSK) is a nationwide school

gardening program that advocates the promotion of the nutritional value and

consumption of common vegetables to address nutritional deficiencies among

underprivileged families, particularly kindergarten and public elementary schools.

This campaign was made possible through the collaborative efforts between

and among the office of Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Department of Education

(DepEd), East-West Seed Company and donor companies such as BDO

Foundation, Sunwest Care Foundation, Asian Terminals Incorporated, Infant and

Pediatric nutrition Association of the Philippines (IPNAP) and Aboitiz Foundation.

Through the partnership, a total of forty schools nationwide have been adopted to

get assistance for the establishment of vegetable gardens which will serve as food

basket for the school.

At the end of school year 2011-2012, the OMG-TSK project hopes to achieve

improved nutrition of the pupils that have been engaged, to draw deeper interest

within communities where adopted schools are situated, and to create awareness on

the importance of vegetables in everyday diet.

Project Objectives:

Teach modern vegetable cultivation through experiential or hands-on learning

Promote healthy eating among school children and the integration of

vegetables in their regular diet, in order to combat malnutrition and/or nutrient

deficiencies

Impart the values of hard work, patience, enthusiasm and sense of

responsibility

Improve school performance through better nutrition

Project Cost:

The cost of project per school is about Php 65,000.00. The amount covers the

following:

Garden tools, sacks, P.E. bags

Training materials i.e., flip charts & manuals



Vegetable garden inputs i.e., seeds/seedlings, plastic mulch, fertilizers,

trellising materials and necessary pesticide

(Please refer to Appendix 1 for the Memorandum of Agreement with budget

breakdown)

Project Coverage:

Figure 1. OMG-TSK Nationwide School Distribution



Project Parties’ Responsibilities:

The Department of Education through the DepEd Health & Nutrition Center shall:

Provide policy guidelines & directions to ensure the proper implementation of

the vegetable school garden program

Recommend school beneficiaries based on specific criteria including low

academic performance and incidence of malnutrition

Provide baseline statistics on malnutrition incidence in the adopted schools &

submit periodic measurements of the nutrition status of said schools

Coordinate closely with the OMG secretariat on program implementation

Monitor the program and recommend solutions on any deviations from the

planned activities

The Department of Education through Adopt-A-School Program shall:

Assist in the coordination of the program

Assist in the implementation and monitoring of the program

Provide proper management, maintenance and care for the improvement

received by the beneficiary schools through the School Head/s or Principals in

close coordination with the Donor.

OMG! shall:

Act as the lead convenor of the core committee on planning and

implementation of the program

Coordinate with the adopting private entity in the implementation of the

vegetable school gardening program and accept the package of assistance

from the Donor.

Transfer payment to East West Seed for farm inputs, seeds and technical

assistance supplied by the company for the implementation of the program

Assist in the implementation and monitoring of the program

Provide publicity and media support to its partners

Render periodic report/assessment of the project being implemented.



East West Seed shall:

Supply farm inputs such as seeds, seedlings, farming implements and others

to school-beneficiaries and receive payment for the above from OMG!

Implement the program and provide technical assistance and technology

transfer on modern vegetable farming to the recipient schools and receive

payment for the above from OMG!

Provide coordinators to conduct lectures for school children and supervise

hands-on activities in coordination with teachers and parents

Assist in monitoring the program

The Donor shall:

Select from the list of priority schools as provided by DepED which shall be

the recipient of donation;

o The donor may also select a school recipient which is not found on the

DepED list, subject to the approval of OMG! & DepED

Provide funding for the implementation of the vegetable school gardening

program including the purchase of farm inputs.

Implement the project in coordination with OMG! and East West Seed. OMG

& East West Seed shall be fully acknowledged as partners.



PROJECT FRAMEWORK AND IMPLEMENTATION

Relevance of Project Framework

The OMG-TSK project operates on the framework of ‘partnership building’.

Collaboration is of utmost importance if desired objectives are to be achieved. Each

stakeholder may vary on its mission but everyone agreed on the project’s vision:

improved nutrition for better future by influencing pupils, teachers, other school

officials and other individuals within the community to develop a habit of eating

vegetables.

Having this common goal, the partnership intends to create and atmosphere

where healthy lifestyle prevails. A once far-fetched dream now comes into reality.

Indeed, the project summons each one of us to take a significant change that would

have lasting effect and can even be transferred from one generation to the next.

The framework below tells us the interplay that transpired in the

implementation of OMG-TSK project. The institutions play a great part from

conceptualization to realization of the OMG-TSK; East West Seed being the

implementing agency had played its role very well in training the pupils, teachers and

other advocates and in showcasing the feasibility of establishing vegetable garden in

a limited area with quite limited resources; lastly the community (PTA & Barangay

Council) for their cooperation & active participation, this immensely help in achieving

the success of OMG-TSK.

Figure 2. Oh My Gulay-Tanim sa Kinabukasan Framework: “Partnership Building”



The project plainly demonstrated that synergy works and can achieve bigger things;

this is however crucial when genuine development is to be achieved.

Creation of OMG-TSK Implementing Team

One important aspect of project management is finding the right people to do

the job. The OMG-TSK program believes that school beneficiaries deserve nothing

but of quality service, thus creation of the implementing team is of primordial concern

for the project steering committee.

It was June, when the implementing office – East West Seed Philippines –

started the search for the right person to fill in the post of OMG-TSK Field

Coordinator. Later part of July when newly-hired coordinators undergo the training

and field visit to school beneficiaries at Aurora province. At that time, it was cleared

to them what area of assignment they’re going to concentrate on.

Initially, there were five (5) OMG-TSK Field Coordinators namely: Michelle

Jeanne Calica assigned at Aurora Province, Ma. Shiela Santos whose OMG-TSK

point person in NCR, Jan Adriel Daliglig assigned at NCR and South Luzon, Gler

Moral which was assigned to overlook school-beneficiaries within Metro Cebu and

Donald Kim Enot assigned at Cagayan De Oro City and Davao City.

It was September when the implementation team welcomes the presence of

another field Coordinator in the name of Ryan Maribojoc which was tasked to assist

the school beneficiaries at Negros Occidental.

On top of these six (6) Field Coordinators are two experienced technical

specialist of the implementing agency in the name of Ivy Joy Ativo, supervising the

NCR and South Luzon area while Mary Joyce Villacorte-Gaviola was assigned to

oversee the project development in Aurora Province, Visayas and Mindanao Region

(Please refer to Appendix 2 for the background of the implementing team).



Project Activities and Accomplishments

School Orientation

The project began with the implementing team conducting a School

Orientation for the thirty nine (39) school-beneficiaries adopted by five (5) donor-

companies/foundations. Prior to school orientation was coordination with school

officials. This is to ensure that the concerned individuals are present during

orientation cum ocular visit. The implementing team seeks to assess the condition of

the area where vegetable gardening is being proposed. This will aid them in planning

and preparation what actions/ measures to be taken to realize the establishment of a

vegetable garden. For the Luzon area, orientation was held in the month of August

2011 as well as in Mindanao area, while for Visayas school-beneficiaries orientation

was held in the month of September 2011.

In the orientation, a short video of TSK program was presented, followed by

the introduction of those present in the meeting and discussion of roles and

responsibilities. A question and answer portion was also part of the orientation to

clarify issues and raise some significant concerns.

At the end of school orientation, it is expected that each party/stakeholder

already had a clearer understanding of the project – from conception to

implementation, the objective it wants to achieve, the order of activity that has to be

done and the commitment to commence the project.

Training: Series of Lecture Discussions

Influencing children to adopt healthy eating habits begins with demonstrating

how vegetables are grown, not only in theory but also allowing them to appreciate

and experience the hard work of tending a plot planted with vegetables.

Training starts with a background/theory/framework of what, how and why a

particular process is conducted, and practiced. We know of course that providing

theory is not an absolute act of sharing information. The children benefit from

experiencing what it’s like to sow seeds, transplant the seedlings and do the actual

pest control. As such, the training provides room for actual demonstration or hands-

on work. Below is the lesson plan followed in the thirty nine (39) school-beneficiaries.



Table 1. Topic Outline for Tanim sa Kinabukasan Modules

TOPIC/ACTIVITY SESSION OBJECTIVE

A. Introduction

Ano ang Agriculture?

Overview ng paghahalaman

Mga Pakinabang at Oportunidad sa

paghahalaman

At the end of the session, the trainees will be able to:

Define agriculture

Identify the benefits and opportunities in

growing crops

B. Paghahalaman

Pangunahing pangangailangan ng halaman

Mga Bahagi ng halaman

Mga uri ng binhing buto

Mga katangian ng binhing buto


Enumerate the factors that affect the growth of a plant

Enumerate the different parts of a plant and describe its functions

Explain the difference between hybrid and

open pollinated seeds

C. Pagpapakilala ng mga gulay

Mga leafy vegetables

Mga gulay kabilang sa solanaceous family

Mga gulay kabilang sa cucurbits family


Identify vegetables according to family Determine nutritional value of each vegetable

D. Mga Uri ng Pagtatanim

Pagtatanim sa kamang-taniman

Container gardening

Greenhouse planting


Describe the different techniques of growing crops

E. Wastong Pangangalaga sa Gulayan

Paghahanda ng lupang punlaan

Pagpupunla

Paghahanda ng taniman

Paglilipat tanim

Pag-aabono

Pangangalaga ng halaman laban sa peste

Wastong pag-aani


Describe the different methods of crop management

Identify solutions to minimize the infestation of pests

Explain the proper handling of crops before and after harvest

F. Other Topics

Mga kagamitan sa paghahalaman

Mga salik pangkaligtasan

Pagkokompost

Pagtatala ng record

Pagsasapamilihan ng inaning gulay


List the tools used in crop management

Explain the safety guides in growing crops



The OMG-TSK implementing team gave the discretion to school officials in

terms of selecting pupil-participants who will undergo the series of lecture-

discussion. The selected pupils will then become representatives of their class. For

most of the schools, pupils belonging to Grade V and VI were given priority since the

training involves hands-on activities; although there are some schools where

combination of Grade IV and V pupils participated in the said training.

It was between September and October when lectures plus hands-on

activities took place for the thirty nine school-beneficiaries. Between December and

January, when the lecture sessions were completed, the vegetable gardens had

begun showing an abundant harvest of vegetables for majority of the schools.

Turn-over of Inputs

Fundamental in the establishment of vegetable garden is the availability of

inputs and tools. The project provides inputs for the school-beneficiaries through the

donor companies/foundations. Through the funding they donated, they provide all

necessary materials for vegetable production like tools: sprinkler, shovels, hand

sprayers among others; inputs like: seeds/seedlings, seedling tray, fertilizer,

pesticides & others; teaching aid like flip charts & manuals.

Upon completion of project, the above-mentioned inputs are put under the

school’s custody/property. This is part of the project’s sustainability mechanism;

schools are expected to continue utilizing the area prepared for vegetable cultivation

even after the intervention has come to an end.

Below is the list of inputs that were funded by Donor and turned-over to

school beneficiaries.

Table 2. List of tools & inputs provided to school beneficiary

Item Quantity

Shovels 2 pcs

Sprinklers 6 pcs.

Hand Sprayers 3 pcs.

Trowels 15 pcs.

Pruning scissors 1 pc

Sacks 300 pcs.



PE bags (9) 100 pcs.

PE bags (2.5)) 500 pcs.

Plastic mulch 1 roll

Fertilizer 10 kgs

Peat moss 1 bag

Trellising materials 10 pcs. net

Seeds 10 pouches

Flip chart 1 set

TSK manual 50 pcs.

Establishment of Vegetable Garden / Crop Management

The allocated area for vegetable garden varies from school to school.

Approximately 1000 sq.m. is an ideal area to start a garden so that plenty of

vegetables can be grown and observed by the pupils. In the long run, produce from

the area can be a good source of income and a vital source of materials for feeding

activity.

However, the OMG-TSK implementing team faced the limitation in terms of

area and unavailability of space for vegetable gardening. In schools located in NCR,

the team resorted to container gardening and successfully showcased the feasibility

of growing vegetables even if planted in containers such as used tin cans and old

plastic jugs. There’s a particular case in Baseco Elementary School wherein they

place their vegetable garden in the rooftop of the five floor school building, reason for

the implementing team to call it ‘roofdeck garden’.

Similarly, the school-beneficiaries in Cagayan De Oro City (Tablon ES) and

Aurora Province (Diteki ES) opted to grow vegetables outside the premise of school

due to unavailability of area within campus.

With some exceptions mentioned above, the establishment of vegetable

gardens generally went well. Cases like disease infestations and insect pest

damaged were addressed promptly and appropriately. Schools were able to utilize

the produce for their feeding program; some even use it as meal for faculty and

some sold fresh produce within the community.



Shown below are data gathered from schools that were able to record the

production and its corresponding value (income).

Table 3. Production & income @ Tablon ES, Cagayan De Oro City

Crop No. of Kilos Price/Kilo Total Amount

Eggplant (Morena)

Tomato (DMAX)

Ampalaya (Galactica)

Pakchoy (Choy)

Upo (Magnifica)

36

32

28

36

59

20

15

20

8

15

720

480

560

208

885

TOTAL 2,853.00

Table 4. Production & income @ A. Bonifacio ES, Davao City

Crop No. of Kilos Price/Kilo Total Amount

Sweet pepper (Emperor)

Upo (Mayumi)

Eggplant (Morena)

Pakchoy (Choy)

Tomato (DMAX)

Kangkong (Tsina LP)

Okra (Smooth Green)

2

250

30

20

10

10

40

50

10

30

25

40

50

25

100

2500

900

500

400

500

1000

TOTAL 5,000.00

Indeed, the old adage is true ‘to see is to believe’; people will believe once

they are able to see positive results. With the exceptional results of the established

gardens pupil, school officials, PTA and other interested individuals in the

community, the implementing team can proudly say that it achieved its goal of

teaching the right way of growing vegetables whether in container or open

fields/spaces. Pupils acquired the skill of installing plastic mulches, sowing in trays,

and others. Likewise, EPP teachers were able to utilize teaching aids that can be

used for at least 5 years or more.

With the OMG-TSK intervention, gardening has become an enjoyable and

meaningful experience not only for the pupils, but the teachers and the whole

community. Cultivation of vegetables, whether in a big or small area, provides

opportunity for collective efforts, cooperation and active participation of each & every

member of the family and/or community.



Harvesting / Community Day

The OMG-TSK project steering committee believed that success has to be

shared so that others may benefit from it, as such ‘Community Day’ was held. This

is to recognize the efforts of those whose involvement made this project a reality, i.e.

school officials, PTA, Barangay officials, LGUs and pupil-participants.

In the said event, project stakeholders gathered to celebrate the fruitful

harvest of the limited vegetable garden as well as learned from the experience of

those who implemented the project at school level. Different awards were given as

well as way of appreciating the hard work of those who contributed in one way or the

other to make school gardening a fun and learning activity for pupils. The said

activity is combined with cooking fest featuring vegetables as main ingredients. As

OMG-TSK strives to promote healthy eating habits by consuming more vegetables, a

cook fest was an aid to promote nutritious meals that a parent can offer to their

children. Mostly mothers were the main participants of the activity. The cook fest

inspires the moms’ creativity in preparing unique vegetable dishes, ones that are

appetizing even for children.

Shown in the table below were the community day celebrations conducted in

various OMG-TSK school beneficiaries in Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao.

Table 5. List of schoos l that conducted Community Day

School Beneficiary Donor-Company Date of Community Day

1. San Isidro ES, Pontevedra,

Negros Occidental

2. Murcia ES, Murcia, Negros

Occidental

3. Jose Rizal ES, Tondo, Manila

4. T. Paez ES, Tondo, Manila

5. Padre Burgos ES, Tondo,

Manila

6. H. Atienza ES, Tondo, Manila

7. A. V. Hernandez ES, Tondo ,

Manila

8. Magat Salamat ES, Tondo,

Manila

9. Almario ES, Tondo, Manila

IPNAP

BDO Foundation

Asian Terminals Inc.







March 27, 2012

March 28, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012



10. Lakan Dula ES, Tondo,

Manila

11. City Central School,

Cagayan De Oro City

12. Bayanan ES, Muntinlupa

City

13. A. Bonifacio ES, Davao City

BDO Foundation

BDO Foundation

BDO Foundation

BDO Foundation

April 11, 2012

April 12, 2012

April 12, 2012

April 13, 2012

It will be observed that not all thirty nine (39) participating schools were able

to conduct the community day. This was primarily because of the conflict in

schedule. Some schools were not willing to accommodate this activity while others

had already completed the crop cycle they chose to plant, thus there’s no available

crops to showcase. But this doesn’t mean that school wasn’t able to harvest, only

harvesting period wasn’t able to highlight thru this significant activity.

True to its promise, the OMG program achieved its goal in introducing and

adding common vegetables to the children’s diet. It was observed that students,

teachers, families and the community rapidly grew their interest and support to OMG.

Along the way, students became more enthusiastic in gardening and showed

discipline and responsibility in caring for their own crops. Teachers also monitored

the work of the children in their garden regularly and buy a large portion of the

harvest. Moreover, families and community showed their support in one way or

another like buying vegetables from the garden and setting up their own backyard

gardening. What is more significant is that OMG created a spark of awareness to the

community on how to improve nutrition in a cheaper way with the involvement of

different sectors in the community.



FINANCIAL REPORT

As stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the estimated cost

per school is sixty five thousand pesos (Php 65,000.00). The cost is intended to

provide the following: seeds, farm equipment, organic fertilizers,

supervision/technical assistance and teaching aids (flipcharts & manuals).

Below is the report of funds granted by Donor and spent for the mentioned

purposes:

Table 6. Fund donated and spending

DONOR NO. OF ADOPTED SCHOOL FUND DONATED FUND SPENT

1. Asian Terminals Inc. 10 school in NCR & So. Luzon 650,000.00 585,000.00*

2. Sunwest Care

Foundation

5 schools in Aurora Province 325,000.00 325,000.00

3. BDO Foundation 15 schools in parts of Luzon,

Visayas & Mindanao

975,000.00 975,000.00

4. IPNAP 4 schools: 2 in Ilocos Norte &

2 in Negros Occidental

260,000.00 260,000.00

5. Aboitiz Foundation 6 schools in Metro Cebu 201,000.00 201,000.00

*In the preceding table, it should be noted that fund donated by Asian

Terminals Inc. was not completely spent. This is because, one (1) of the ten (10)

adopted schools declined to be one of the project beneficiary and no replacement

school was identified by the donor.

On the other hand the implementing office – East West Seed Philippines

(EWSP) apart from being the implementer took the initiative of shouldering other

operational expenses that were not covered in the project cost but needed to be

provided for the implementation of the OMG-TSK project.

Below is the report of items and the corresponding amount that EWSP

shelled-out for the operation of thirty nine (39) adopted schools to enable to achieve

the set objectives by the project.



Table 7. Expenses shouldered by East West Seed Philippines

PARTICULAR AMOUNT

1. Communications 24,770.87

2. Travel: Fares 76364.43

3. Travel: Food 30, 708.46

4. Travel: Gas 4,614.55

5. Travel: Lodging 74,347.96

6. Office supplies 9,304.27

7. Promotional Activity (snack & prizes) 80,897.32

8. Repairs: transportation equipment 1,889.00

TOTAL 302,896.86



IMPACT AND OBSERVATIONS

Majority of our OMG-TSK partner-schools wholeheartedly welcomed the

project. They gave their strong commitment to implement the project despite their

numerous DepEd/ academic responsibilities. They willingly accommodated the

OMG-TSK field coordinators whose constant presence assured them of the

commitment of the OMG-TSK Proponents.

Likewise, most of our partner-teachers readily adjusted their schedule to allot

time for the OMG sessions which were conducted once a week. The series of

lecture- discussions successfully educated the participating students in terms of

exposing them to the modern way of cultivating vegetables. Proof of this was the

strong student participation in doing the actual demonstration or “hands-on” during

the different stages of the project such as soil preparation, actual planting, crop

maintenance and harvest /community day. It was also observed that there was a

lively exchange of ideas among the teachers and pupils on how to further improve

the actual operation of their respective vegetable gardens and not just be limited to

what is written in the OMG-TSK project manual.

For pupils residing in the rural areas, teaching them gardening was easier

since they are already quite knowledgeable in basic farming, having been exposed

by their farmer-parents to basic agricultural practices. However, those pupils residing

in the urban areas have a bit more of difficulty understanding the vegetable farming

theories &concepts and putting them into practice. This posed a challenge to the

assigned OMG-TSK Coordinator who must exert greater effort to encourage the

student s to learn farming concepts and techniques.

Like any project, OMG-TSK had its own share of shortcomings. For one, the

project team did not anticipate the need for garden soil in some participating schools.

In particular, this was a major challenge for school beneficiaries in the NCR area,

who apart from having limited space for a vegetable garden, have poor soil quality.

The Office of Senator Angara – the proponent of Oh! My Gulay (OMG) advocacy -

provided assistance that enabled the implementing team to facilitate request,

purchase and finally delivered the much-needed garden soil to the concerned NCR-

based schools .



Moreover, typhoons and other natural disturbances adversely affected project

implementation and results. For one, Aurora Province had abundant rainfall last

year. This hampered the growth and development of crops planted in the area.

When Typhoon Sendong hit Cagayan De Oro City and nearby towns, our OMG-TSK

school gardens were devastated along with entire communities in the affected area.

Negros Occidental also experienced drought last year which adversely affected the

quality of the crops grown in our school gardens in the Province.

And so is the human factor which pertains to how the teacher-coordinators

and pupils looked after their respective gardens (i.e. crop maintenance) and followed

the instructions prescribed by OMG-TSK project coordinators. It can be said that the

overall successful implementation of the OMG-TSK vegetable gardening projects

were due to the positive reception, support and commitment extended to the project

by majority of the OMG-TSK partner- schools. In particular, we acknowledge the

contributions made by the school principals, assigned teachers, barangay officials

and PTS/ parents who made the OMG-TSK project, by and large, a success in its

first year of operation.

It is also worth mentioning here that the project’s highlight was the

“Community Day”. It proved to be an excellent opportunity to acknowledge those

who labored for the OMG-TSK Project and showcase the fresh produce from their

respective school gardens. Aside from project partners, the local officials and other

important sectors of the community were invited and came over to witness and

participate in this milestone event. The Community Day consisted of various

activities - from school garden tours, awarding of certificates, cooking contests

featuring unique vegetables recipes, to photo opportunities as part of project

documentation. While all these activities were greatly appreciated by our school-

based partners and other project partners, one observation though was that there

was no “feeding” component during the Community Day. It would have been more

fun and memorable had there been a “feeding” component so that everybody who

attended, especially those who labored for months to make the vegetable harvest

possible such as the students, would have enjoyed the different dishes prepared

featuring the variety of vegetables comprising the OMG-TSK school gardens.

Moreover, it has been observed that the EPP teachers (who are critical

project implementers) still lacked adequate knowledge and practical skills to

effectively impart to their respective students the OMG-TSK project concepts and



implementation techniques. Thus, there is a need for a more thorough and

specialized OMG-TSK training module specifically designed and implemented for the

EPP teachers. Focus must also be given on how the OMG-TSK modules can be

properly interfaced with the other components of the DepEd curriculum. This project

concern is especially true in urban-based public schools which are understandable,

as most of the EPP teachers did not have prior exposure to agricultural concepts and

practice, unlike their counterparts in the rural areas.



PROJECT CHALLENGES

Location of Partner-Schools. The geographic location of the thirty nine (39) OMG-

TSK partner- schools was dispersed in various parts of Luzon, Visayas and

Mindanao. Thus, from the point of view of those assigned to implement and monitor

the project, it was difficult to physically move around given the dispersed location/

geographic distance among participating schools, even within the same province.

This problem adversely affected the quality of project supervision and monitoring,

thereby affecting project results and impact. In addition, cost-efficiency wise, this set-

up also resulted in higher project costs (travel and communication expenses, for

example) which were not all anticipated during the project planning/

conceptualization phase.

Project Ownership at the Local School Level. Since the OMG-TSK project

implementation was done at the local school level, it was inevitable that local school

officials must be consulted in every step of the implementation phase. Decisions on

pupil selection, allocation of area for vegetable garden, schedules for lecture-

discussion and other project-related concerns – all of these decision points had to be

consulted with local school officials for their concurrence (i.e. principals, PTS

officials, EPP teachers). Unfortunately, some of these officials were uncooperative

and in fact, there were school officials who demanded that a localized MOA be

signed by their Division Office – on top of the DepEd Central Office – who signed the

MOA on behalf of DepEd. Thus, the lack of a “localized MOA” on a per school basis

sort of weakened the sense of project “ownership” among local school officials which

affected their reception of and involvement in project implementation.

School Selection Process. The OMG-TSK partner-schools were pre-selected by

the donor-companies. Selection was based on the list provided by the DOST- FNRI

of the most nutritionally- challenged schools in the country. While the intention was

good, i.e. to improve the nutritional status of the pupils of selected schools, other

success factors should have been considered during the selection process. Other

criteria like the suitability of soil, availability of space, distance from farm input-

suppliers -among other factors- should have been considered in the selection

process.



CONCLUSION

What we have just documented in this Report are the experiences and results

of the first year implementation of the OMG-TSK Program in thirty nine (39) DepEd

schools nationwide. This is not intended to provide the reader with a thorough

evaluation of the undertaking, but rather an initial account of what transpired - with

focus on the learning and insights derived from the implementation process.

Likewise, we have included here a few recommendations to guide project

implementers in the succeeding batch of partner-schools in the future.

Like any collaborative endeavor, it is important that the terms and conditions

of the partnership are made clear at the onset. Thus, responsibilities and

expectations should be clearly spelled out during the negotiation stage. Likewise, a

well-defined monitoring and evaluation scheme should be agreed upon as part of

project design. This will help in formulating strategies and approaches that will

address the project’s areas for further improvement, thus, re-inventing the project

after each cycle until the most effective and cost-efficient mode of implementation is

finally arrived at. It is important to bear in mind that the OMG-TSK Project is merely

on its maiden year of implementation. Thus, the Project still has a long way to go

before it is scaled up for a macro application.



RECOMMENDATIONS

School Selection Criteria. At the onset of the project, it would be good if all OMG-

TSK partner-organizations can agree on a common set of selection criteria that will

guide them in screening the OMG-TSK partner schools nationwide. This step is

envisioned to increase the rate of project success and anticipate whatever strong

and weak points each school might be faced with vis-a-vis prescribed set of criteria.

Below is the set of criteria being utilized by East West Seed Philippines in selecting

partner- schools for its “Tanim sa Kinabukasan” or TSK Program. The same may be

used for the OMG-TSK program. All parties/stakeholders are encouraged to have

their say in the selection process: following agreed upon criteria.

Criteria in selecting partner schools were:

1. Preferably clustered schools (for easier management and monitoring)

2. Good water source

3. Available area for planting (at least 500 sq. m.)

4. School location is preferably along the road

5. Strong commitment from school administrators

6. Visible support from LGUs (e.g. construction of fence within the premise of the

vegetable garden

7. There’s an identified person who will manage the vegetable garden

School Clustering. We recommend that we adopt a “school clustering” approach.

This means that the OMG-TSK Project shall be implemented in DepEd schools that

are geographically contiguous to each other to form a “cluster”. One, it will be easier

and cost-efficient to implement and monitor the project on the part of the

implementing organization (i.e. East-West Seed). Two, there will be greater project

impact if the schools are clustered - that is, a bandwagon effect can be created by a

cluster of schools who may be engaged in a “friendly competition” with each other,

thereby, enjoining them to exert best effort to excel in the OMG-TSK project.

Moreover, from a promotional point of view, a cluster of schools implementing a

common program is easier to attract attention, even from mass media.



Adopt a Localized MOA per Partner-School. As expounded in the foregoing, the

lack of a localized MOA was raised as an issue by some school principals who felt

that a mother MOA signed by the DepEd Central Office was not enough as a basis

for a solid project partnership at the local school level. Thus, to foster a stronger

sense of “project ownership” , it was recommended that in addition to the mother

MOA, a localized MOA per school - that is more specific and grounded, so to speak

– must be adopted in the coming years.

Incorporation of OMG-TSK Learning Modules in the DepEd Curriculum. Another

recommendation is for the DepED to incorporate the OMG-TSK vegetable-gardening

modules in the academic program/ curriculum for elementary students. This would

mean more students benefitting from the lessons on concepts/technology of

vegetable production and the importance of vegetable consumption for improved

nutrition especially among Filipino youth.



APPENDICES



APPENDIX 1

OMG!-TSK MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

Aboitiz Foundation Inc.



BDO Foundation



Infant and Pediatric Nutrition Association of the Philippines (IPNAP)



Sunwest Care Foundation



APPENDIX 2

OMG-TSK IMPLEMENTING TEAM

MARY JOYCE VILLACORTE-GAVIOLA

Mary Joyce Villacorte-Gaviola is a Senior Technology

Transfer Specialist (STTS) of East-West Seed Co.,

Inc., Philippines. She has a Bachelor of Science in

Agriculture (Extension) degree from Bulacan

Agriculture State College and Masters Degree in

Community Development at UP Diliman (Community

Planning and Administration). She is indeed an expert

on her course of discipline with a solid twelve (12)

years of training and extension work in Ilocos Sur,

Southern Leyte and Quezon Province which paved to

the improvement on the lives of small farmers in the areas. Her interest in

development planning and administration landed her also as the Project

Development Assistant in the Technology Transfer Department of the company.

In year 2005-2008, she led the project management team in Bondoc

Peninsula, Quezon Province during the Quezon Province Project on Public-Private

Partnership (PPP); a DAR-ARCDP2/WorldBank & East-West Seed

Company/German Development Bank (DEG) project. She was responsible for the

horticultural skills development of 500 small farmers in Quezon Province which

culminated to the successful linkage of these farmers to microfinance institutions and

marketing organizations. During the PPP Project, she initiated the

PARATECHNICIAN Training for farmers and extension workers geared towards the

sustainability of the program on Off-Season Vegetable Production at the area.

Ms. Gaviola was part of the group who conceptualized and developed

Farmer’s Field School (FFS) in vegetable production, which was first implemented

during the PPP Program and yielded for more improved conduct of training. She

developed other training modalities like Farmer’s Field Training (FFT), Subject



Specific Training (SST) and Crop Specific Training (CST) for significant transfer of

technology

The company, having known her capabilities, sent her to participate for a month-long

training on Good Agricultural Practices to the 26th Regional Training Course at

Regional Training Center of Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center

(AVRDC), Nakhon Pathom, Thailand in 2007. In October 2010, she represented the

company in a short-term course – ‘Management Course for Development

Practitioner’ – at MDF Training and Consultancy under Netherland Fellowship

Program (NUFFIC).

IVY JOY ATIVO

Ivy Joy Ativo is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in

Agriculture major in Horticulture at the University of

the Philippines Los Baños. Right after graduation and

passing the agriculturist licensure examination, she

explored the agriculture industry and joined East West

Seed Company (EWSC) in 2009 as a Technical

Service Coordinator. Being part of the technical

service team, she worked closely with farmers to

address technical problems in their farm as well as to

ensure that they will properly follow the packaged of technology developed by the

company.

In 2011, she served as a Project Coordinator of the advocacy program of EWSC, the

Tanim sa Kinabukasan (TSK). She has promoted EWSC not only as the leader in

vegetable seed industry in the country but also as another venue in improving the

lives of the Filipino community by teaching modern technologies of growing

vegetables and promoting healthy eating habits. In addition to school-based

trainings, she conducted free trainings on vegetable production for the other project

partners of TSK. In the same year, Oh My Gulay! (OMG!) Program of Senator

Edgardo Angara tapped EWSC to partner with its TSK Program. She served as a



Project Coordinator for the implementing team of the OMG! Program and supervised

recipient schools in Metro Manila Area.

MA. SHIELA PAYOPAY SANTOS

Ma. Shiela Payopay Santos is a Project Coordinator of

Oh My Gulay - Tanim sa Kinabukasan (OMG-TSK) of

East-West Seed Philippines. She has a Bachelor of

Science in Agriculture (Horticulture: Crop Production and

Management) degree from University of the Philippines –

Los Baños, class of 2009. She is an alumni member of

UP Horticultural Society.

She was assigned in National Capital Region (NCR) from

2011 to 2012 as project coordinator to implement the

OMG program to seven recipient schools in the NCR Region specifically in Tondo,

Manila. This improved planting and eating vegetables habits of public school

children. A school vegetable garden was established on the seven schools for

demonstration of the new technology being used by the company and the proper

management of planting vegetables.

She was also engaged in UPLB Foundation Inc. under College of Public Affairs

(CPAf) from January 2010 to July 2011 as a university research associate for the

“Benefit and Impact Assessment of the Infrastructure for Rural Productivity and

Enhancement Sector (InfRES) Project”. She conducted nationwide survey evaluation

on the benefit and impact of the infrastructures developed by the InfRES-DA on the

livelihood of rural communities. The assessment conducted, led to the Phase II

program of InfRES-DA to lay concrete on Farm to Market Roads (FMR); and

maintenance of their Potable Water System (PWS) and Irrigation System (IS)

implemented.

In 2010, she served as an assistant agronomist/horticulturist for Sorosoro Ibaba

Development Cooperative (SIDC) in Batangas City where she developed and

improved ornamental nursery production of the company; supervised production,

management, and other field operations of commercial organic-vegetables and



ornamental plants; and supervised production of organic fertilizer (chicken manure-

based).

MICHELLE JEANNE LAZONA CALICA

Michelle Jeanne Lazona Calica is a Project

Coordinator of Oh My Gulay - Tanim sa

Kinabukasan (OMG-TSK) of East-West Seed

Philippines. She has a Bachelor of Science in

Agriculture (Horticulture: Crop Production and

Management) degree from University of the

Philippines – Los Baños, class of 2011. She is also

an alumni member of UP Horticultural Society and

Gamma Sigma Delta – Honor Society of

Agriculture.

She was assigned in Aurora from 2011 to 2012 to implement the OMG program to

five recipient schools in four towns of the province namely Baler, Maria Aurora, San

Luis and Dipaculao. This led to the creation of vegetable gardens, thereby

encouraging more students to add vegetables to their diet. As part of her

accomplishment, she’s able to train more than 300 students, teachers and other

interested individuals in modern ways of growing vegetables.

Within the project, she got the chance to work with an American volunteer - Emma

James (an intern from the Office of Sen. Edgardo Angara) - for three months towards

the end of project term. Result of collaboration in the province was featured in Manila

Bulletin on February 2012 by Mr. Zac Sarian, a well-known agriculture journalist.



JAN ADRIEL M. DALIGDIG

Jan Adriel M. Daligdig is a Project Coordinator of East-West

Seed Co., Inc., Philippines for Oh My Gulay! (OMG!)-Tanim sa

Kinabukasan. He finished his Bachelor of Science in

Agriculture degree at the University of the Philippines Los

Baños. With his major in Horticulture specializing on

Vegetable Production, his undergraduate practicum focused

on organic farming and assessment of farmers’ adoption of

organic farming strategies.

Right after passing the agriculturist licensure exam, he joined

East-West Seed Co., Inc. late 2011. He was in-charge of 6 schools in the NCR

(Makati, Quezon City, Munitnlupa, and Tondo) and Southern Luzon Area (Batangas).

RYAN GUERRERO MARIBOJOC

Ryan Guerrero Maribojoc is a Project Coordinator –

OMG-TSK PROGRAM - of East-West Seed

Company Philippines. He comes from humble

beginning, a poor farmer’s son and a certified

working student for solid five years in college. By

God’s infinite love, he finished his Bachelor of

Science in Agriculture major in Crop Science from

Central Philippine Adventist College as a Cum

Laude and a passer of the Licensure Examination for

Agriculturist. He’s been in East West Seed for a year now.

In 2011, he was assigned as Project Coordinator to Negros Occidental for Oh My

Gulay! – Tanim sa Kinabukasan (OMG!-TSK) program; a collaboration between

Office of the Senator Angara, East West Seed Philippines, Department of Education,

BDO Foundation and Infant Pediatric and Nutrition Association of the Philippines

(IPNAP). He was responsible for the establishment of school vegetable garden in the

identified school beneficiaries in the region. Training of the pupils was also part of his

duty as a project coordinator.



Prior to East West Seed engagement, he has a three-month intensive experience in

‘natural farming system’ in Sto. Domingo Natural Farm in Caridad, Bago City, Negros

Occidental; while in 2010, he spent his time at Naga View Adventist College where

he put up the college vegetable farm.

DONALD KIM BALINDRES ENOT

Donald Kim Balindres Enot is a Project Coordinator

– OMG-TSK PROGRAM - of East-West Seed

Company Philippines. He was assigned in

Mindanao particularly Cagayan de Oro City and

Davao City. He has a Bachelor of Science in

Agriculture (Horticulture) degree from Central

Mindanao University and 6 Units of Masters degree

in (Horticulture) in the same institution. He practiced

his course of discipline for one year as Production

Technician at ANGELEXA Farm in Bantuanon, Lantapan. As Technician, he was

tasked to oversee the incremental increase in production thru appropriate strategies

& approaches in banana plantation. Later, he moved to Haverson Enterprises

wherein he served as Sales Technician. He performed different tasks such as

promotion of highland vegetable crops, data gathering for seeds trial and collection

of payments from dealers. After a year, an opportunity to work at SUMIFRU

Philippines (pineapple division) came. There, he worked as technical surveyor

gathering necessary data from different pineapple fields needed to improve fresh

produce for export. He was also trained as internal auditor for the existing plantations

of the company then became a Plantation Operation Supervisor of Banana

Plantation (Cavendish Variety). His main function was to monitor the different

activities held in the field, from planting to delivery of the produced bananas to the

packing houses.

In 2011, thru the OMG! – TSK Program, he was able to train about 150 pupils in his

assigned area and successfully engaged school officials to make planting and eating

vegetables an advocacy. This was highlighted in the community day which he

effectively organized and coordinated.



APPENDIX 3

DOCUMENTATION REPORT FROM AN AMERICAN STUDENT

OMG! FINAL REPORT

Emma James

March 2012

Introduction:

I first learned about Oh My Gulay (OMG!) while perusing the internet in

preparation for a future trip to Vietnam where I was studying abroad. I had been

contemplating the idea of prolonging my visit in Southeast Asia and volunteering for

a few months, which is why I was exploring online articles and looking for different

opportunities. I stumbled across a newspaper article regarding OMG! and after doing

a little more research about the program and the founders I decided to take a leap of

faith and make contact with the office of Senator Angara. When I received a

response I was beyond delighted, surprised, but also a little apprehensive– was this

really something I could do?The first few months of tentative planning seemed like a

pipedream, but as time progressed and the holidays rolled around everything

became very real. In mid-January my plane touched down in Manila, and since then I

have beenacting as an intern/volunteer for OMG!. I am stationed in Aurora Province

in Northern Luzon co-monitoring five different schools with Michelle Calica, an

employee of East West Seed.

It is now the end of March, 2012, and in two short weeks I will be leaving the

Philippines. I have been asked to write a report/study on the OMG! program, which I

am more than happy to do in return for all that it has given me. The following report

is broken down into six different sections: first, the methodology, emulated after a

scientific report to make it as clear and concise as possible what I am working with.

Second is the general description of the program with help from Francine Sayoc and

the OMG!Memorandum Agreement. The third section is titled“Inside OMG!”, a look

at what works with the program and how we accomplish what we set out to do. The

fourth section regards the impactOMG! has had on all participants, and the fifth and



sixth sections are recommendations for future years and the conclusion,

respectively.

Methodology:

The following observations, (this can also be considered a study) is purely

qualitative as there was not the time or the tools needed to conduct quantitative

research. The data that I am analyzing isn’t physical or tangible;instead it is

mythoughts and reviewson the program after my participatory observation.

Therefore, it is important to note the following is purely my personal observations,

analyzed through the lens of a foreigner who entered the OMG! program a few

months after it started: I am no expert. I base much of my reasoning on the

appearance of the gardens, the enthusiasm from the children, conversations held

with teachers about the students and the work in the garden, and finally the general

attitude of all participants while visiting schools. Therefore, when I use the term

“data” I am referring to my observations and thoughts.

The data was collected from 26 January 2012 to the end of March. Some data

is based on informal interviews with teachers, students, and principals, as well as

conversations with my partner, Michelle Calica, an employee of East West Seed.

Data was collected from five different schools with a combined three hundred plus

student participants. One school was visited each weekday in the following order:

Diteki Elementary School, Reserva Elementary School, Maria Aurora Central School,

Baler Central School, and Diarabasin Elementary School. A majority of the students

were in fifth and sixth grade, although in Diarabasin fourth graders were also

participants.

A limitation to my OMG! study was that there simply wasn’t enough time. The

program was introduced to schools at the beginning of the academic year. The

OMG! schools in Aurora Province began the first planting in September and

completed their first harvest in December. My arrival in Aurora was in late January,

meaning that I completely missed observingthe program grow from the grassroots

up.Another limitation of the study is the number of students and the inability to speak

with all of them, once again attributed to lack of time. The following observations and

conclusions have been drawn from my experience with the students that I came to

know and talk with on a regular basis. It is necessary to state that I didn’t have the



chance to interact one on one with half the ofthe total student population, therefore I

need to make clear that these conclusions cannot be representative for each

student, although I do think they represent all five schools.

A final note on limitations: there was a language barrier. Although all teachers

and principals are competent in English that doesn’t necessarily mean they always

speak in English. There were many times when discussions were held in Tagalog

and therefore I wasn’t able to understand a majority of what was being said. Luckily,

Michelle always translated and summarized the conversations later when we were

alone, but translations are never as accurate as the actual conversation.

General Description:

The objective of Oh My Gulay is simple: to improve the health of Filipino

children by adding more vegetables into their diet while concurrently making them

enthusiastic about the idea of replacing carbohydrates with vegetables. One of four

preschool aged Filipino children is malnourished not because they are famished, but

because their diets are lacking the nutrients that vegetables provide. The OMG!

school gardens allow children to grow their own vegetables, granting them

knowledge on horticulture while simultaneously providing them with the vegetables

they need to improve their diet and live a healthier life. OMG! doesn’t only touch the

children but brings awareness to schools, families, and communities.

The target beneficiaries of OMG! are malnourished children. The school

nurse, teachers, and the Food Nutrition and Research Institute identify certain

students as the most malnourished and therefore the most likely to benefit from

OMG!. The following numbers represent the number of recipient students in each

school: 40 in Baler Central School, 160 in Diarabasin Elementary School, 54 in Diteki

Elementary School, 40 in Maria Aurora Central School, and 35 in Reserva

Elementary School.

This project is a collaborative effort, requiring the work of more than one

organization. The following is a brief description of each agencies role in the program

as stated in the Rights and Responsibilities of the partner-agencies in the

Memorandum of Agreement.

OMG!’s role is to act as the lead convener of the core committee on planning

and implementation of the program. They are responsible for coordinating with the



adopting private entity in the implementation of the vegetable school gardening

program and accepting the package of assistance from the Donor. They also assist

in the implementation and monitoring of the program, provide publicity and media

support to its partners, and finally render periodic report/assessment of the projects

being implemented.

The Department of Education (DepEd) provides policy guidance and

directions to ensure the proper implementation of the school garden program. DepEd

is responsible for recommending schools based on specific criteria including low

academic performance and incidences of malnutrition. They also provide baseline

statistics on malnutrition incidence in the adopted schools, and submit periodic

measurements of the nutrition status of said schools. Finally, they are responsible for

monitoring the program and recommending solutions on any deviations from the

planned activities.

East-West Seed is responsible for supplying the program with the farm inputs

such as seeds, seedlings, farming implements as well as providing the human

capital in the form of a coordinator to conduct lectures for the schools. East-West

Seed also provides technical assistance and technology transfer on modern

vegetable farming to the recipient schools.

Finally, the Donors made up of BDO Foundation, Asian Terminals Inc.,

Aboitiz, Sunwest Care Foundation, and IPNAP make the final decision in which

schools will be a recipient school. They also provide funding for the implementation

of the vegetable school gardening program including the purchase of farm inputs,

seeds, seedlings, as well as the supervision and transportation fees of the program

coordinator at Php65,000 per school.

Inside OMG!:

There were certain daily procedures and practices that were more widely

accepted and effective than others. I think one of the reasons why the students enjoy

OMG! so much is because it is hands-on learning; it gets them out of the classroom

and allows them to spend time outdoors. OMG! is the perfect example of experiential

learning. However, that being said I do think it is necessary to integrate more

academics into the program. Schools should take advantage of the OMG! gardens

and nutritional concepts and use them as a gateway to teach children plant biology,

what vegetables contain what nutrients and why the human body needs the nutrients



found in vegetables. Students should learn how vegetables affect their body and can

better their health not only in the present but the future as well. Learning this

information may lead to an even greater appreciation and enthusiasm for the

program from both teachers and students.

OMG!requires cooperation from not only the students, but the school and

families as well. One of the most successful and memorable daystook place in Maria

Aurora Central School when students held a cooking competition using the excess

upo from their garden. Students were broken up into five teams and had an hour and

a half to cook a dish with upo being the main ingredient. This cooking competition

reached the ultimate goal of OMG!: it got children to integrate vegetables into their

diet. Students cooked dishes with vegetables in them, and isn’t the point of a cooking

contest to make the most delicious dish necessary? Therefore the students came to

terms that it is possible to make delicious and nutritious dishes with vegetables being

the main ingredient. This cooking competition was a collaborative event, it needed

the participation of many people including: parents to supply the children with

cooking utensils and ingredients (besides the upo,)the OMG! monitors to supervise

the children, the teachers to manage everything, and the school’s canteen staff since

the students were using the canteen space as their kitchen. It goes to show how

many people support the OMG! program.

I think the program would benefit greatly if there were more events like the

cooking competition. I realize that this is easier said than done considering that it

took the collaboration of many people. There were outside resources as well, and

probably not every family is willing to make monetary donations or even contribute

the extra ingredients for their child’s cooking competition in school. Perhaps in the

future when the program has been underway for more years the schools can start an

OMG! fund, saving the money from the vegetables they sell to support events like

the cooking competition.

Impact:

The impact of OMG! is threefold, impacting students, teachers, and the

community. First and arguably most important sinceOMG! is targeted atthem: the

students. A reminder that this must be considered in accordance to the limitation of

study, I never personally observed the students at the beginning of the year.



According to Michelle, students had a varied knowledge of gardening at the

beginning of the program. Now children confidently walk into the garden with the

knowledge necessary to take care of the plants. Teaching the children how to garden

is a huge accomplishment because it means they have the knowledge needed to

grow a garden anywhere, meaning regardless of where they are they can avoid

malnourishment. OMG! students can easily recognize and identify different varieties

of plants, know what sort of conditions are best for each plant, and realize when

vegetables are ready to be harvested. They have also learned proper

troubleshooting techniques– not all of the schools have perfect gardening

conditions– at some schools the soil is poor, there isn’t enough sunlight, or the rain

comes too often and too heavily. Students have learned how to work through these

weather conditions to find a solution so the plants eventually bear fruit. For example,

the students at Baler Central tend to a garden that is half made up of containers,

rows of sitaw in burlap sacks stretch down the length of a field.

Learning to garden is only half of the program’s accomplishments. The OMG!

students have the tools necessary to live a healthier life. The fact that students know

how to grow their own food is a push in the right direction for students to start eating

more vegetables versus carbohydrates, especially prepackaged carbohydrates.

OMG! has encouraged students to improve their diets; it is fun for them to eat the

vegetables that they grow because they know it is their hard work, it is much more

rewarding than eating something that they bought at the market or a store. Through

OMG! students reap what they sow both literally and figuratively, the latter in the

sense that OMG! is proving to them that their work can pay off in the most effective

and enriching way possible: living a healthier life.

The teachers and principals in the program have been exposed to a new

hands-on teaching method. They have accepted more responsibilities, not only

caring for students but making sure students care for the gardens. I think the most

important impact isOMG! has opened their eyes to the health of their students and

ways to improve it. In my experience with American schools, teachers usually know

which students come from an underprivileged background and don’t have the

monetary needs to live a healthy lifestyle. However, there is never much that

teachers can do to compensate for a student’s poor diet at home. OMG! gives

educators a way to help students eat properly and improve their diet, hence

improving their lifestyle.



Additionally, through OMG! teachers are able to acquire the knowledge of the

latest gardening technology: fertilizers, pesticides, sowing of seeds, etc. They aren’t

agriculturist so they gain the knowledge needed, just like the children, to successfully

grow gardens.

Lastly, there is the community. All the barangays have been supportive of the

students and their work in the gardens. Many community members buy the excess

vegetables and these funds are turned around to go back into the garden in the form

of new tools, fertilizer, fences, posts, etc. OMG! has sparked the idea of community

gardens as well. One of the teacher coordinators introduced the OMG! module to his

barangay hoping that they could emulate the program and raise vegetables for their

whole community. These are the physical impacts I have seen, but I hope that the

biggest impact is an unseen one: in the children’s homes. Ideally, I would like to think

that what students were taught in OMG!has been carried over to their homes. I

haven’t visited the houses of the students so I can’t know for sure, but hopefully their

enthusiasm for gardening is contagious. If children share what they learn in the

gardens then the parents can start their own gardens, leading to children to consume

more vegetables therefore more vitamins and nutrients.

Issues & Recommendations:

In terms of improving the program, I think the most important and beneficial

step to take is making it more academically focused. I know that the teachers come

from a variety of backgrounds, for example: some are math teachers. In my opinion,

it would make more sense if the science teacher were the ones who monitored the

OMG! gardens so they could teach children about plant cells, photosynthesis, life

cycles, etc. This is most likely easier said than done since teachers already have so

much on their plates with different commitments. If it is feasible I think it would add a

whole new academic dimension to the program– students could learn plant biology

while simultaneously caring for their own plants/vegetables.

One of the issues Michelle and I are now facing is the busy schedule in

schools. All the students are taking the regional tests, and in preparation for the tests

as well as the actual testing, have spent less time in the garden. It is hard to see the

gardens looking a little under loved when only a few weeks before they were lush

and verdant. I understand academics come first but the teachers should have



foreseen this problem and warned us about it. Maybe in future years the OMG!

program can wrap up a few weeks before graduation so that way students can finish

the program just as successfully as they started it.

Lastly, it may be beneficial to have more than one monitor in each province.

Managing five schools is a big job, especially with so many children enrolled in the

program at every school. It there were two monitors then more work could be

accomplished, better connections could be made with the students and all the

recipients would have an even better understanding of gardens, nutrition, and

vegetables.

Conclusions:

In what will total three months in the Philippines with OMG! I have observed

the utmost respect and dedication to the program from coordinators, teachers,

principals, and students. It is wonderful to see children excited about vegetables, to

see their faces light up when they show us how much the upo have grown since our

last visit. I’m assuming this enthusiasm transfers from the school garden and into the

home, where maybe someday they will have their own garden so they have an

unlimited supply of fresh vegetables giving them the nutrients they need to live a

truly healthy lifestyle. Besides being accepted by the students, OMG! has been

welcomed by all the participating schools and communities. As the years continue I

would assume that the program will only gain more support.Based on my thoughts

and observations the best way to improve the program is by focusing more on

academics and science issues, meaning more lectures and diagrams. All in all, I

would say that this is quite an impressive program considering that it is the pilot year

and I am thankful for those responsible in helping me play a role in it.



PHOTO

REPORT

2012 april omg-tsk year 1 evaluation report...2012 april omg-tsk year 1 evaluation report oh my...

Documents