Many government schools in Hyderabad are facing problems such as poor nutrition in mid-day meals and classrooms with inadequate lighting. To help improve the situation, a group of IT employees and voluntary organizations have come together to renovate these schools. They also introduced an innovative idea to create community gardens, which will help provide fresh vegetables for the mid-day meals.
The first step of this initiative has been launched at the Government High School in Mallapur. The goal is to ensure that children receive healthier meals by growing organic vegetables right on the school premises. This initiative is part of a larger mission to provide better facilities, including nutritious food, clean drinking water, and proper sanitation.
Manoj Vidiyala, co-founder of the NGO Dha3R, explained the challenges faced by government schools in Telangana. He mentioned that many schools do not have proper sanitation, and the mid-day meals are often lacking in nutrition. Due to rising costs, some meal suppliers have been forced to reduce the amount of vegetables in the meals. To address this, about 100 IT employees are helping to establish community gardens where schools can grow their own organic vegetables.
The gardening project began in mid-September. Around 20 varieties of vegetables, such as beans, potatoes, and tomatoes, will be grown in a 400-square-yard area on the school grounds. This initiative started with one school in Mallapur, but there are plans to expand it to other schools in the near future. The hope is that this project will inspire others to adopt similar methods, making schools more self-sufficient in providing nutritious meals.
In addition to creating the community garden, volunteers have also worked to improve the school’s facilities. They repainted the walls, upgraded the washrooms, and made significant improvements to the girls’ restroom, which previously lacked proper walls. The volunteers also replaced damaged taps and repaired drainage systems.
This mission is being funded by voluntary contributions from like-minded individuals who are passionate about improving the conditions in government schools. Volunteers are hopeful that their efforts will bring meaningful change and encourage others to participate in supporting these schools.
