Nurturing Green Shoots, Sowing Hope: “Green Hope” Reaches Students in the Highland Areas of Tuyen Quang

The program was implemented in coordination with and with the support of the Commune Party Committee, the People’s Committee, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hung Loi Commune, as well as the Hung Loi Commune Youth Union, Youth Federation, and Young Pioneer Organization. The school’s Board of Management also provided support, alongside contributions from MICO Vietnam and community donors.

The project aims to provide fresh vegetables for students’ meals, helping improve their nutritional conditions while creating an environment where students can explore, experience, and put into practice practical knowledge about plants, nature, and environmental protection.

The project involves renovating and reorganizing the garden area, with components including planting beds, a seedling nursery, a basic irrigation system, fencing, and climbing trellises. These facilities will serve as a foundation for the school to gradually maintain and develop its school garden model in the years ahead.

In addition to infrastructure, the program provides gardening tools, agricultural supplies, organic fertilizers, and an initial supply of seeds. A diverse range of plants has been selected to suit local conditions, including leafy vegetables, fruiting vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants, and flowers, which will be grown in rotation according to the seasons. The project also provides additional seeds for replanting and replacing plants that do not survive, helping sustain the garden during its first 12–24 months. At the same time, the program encourages the school to preserve and reuse suitable seeds to gradually develop the capacity to maintain the garden independently.

To ensure the garden can operate effectively, Fly To Sky and its partners provide seasonal planting and care guidelines, remote technical consultations, monitoring, and guidance on adjustments during the initial implementation phase. They also support teachers and the staff responsible for the garden in addressing emerging issues such as pests and diseases, plant replacement, and the renovation of planting beds, with a focus on planting and cultivation methods, plant care, the use of supplies, and garden management.

“Green Hope” is more than just a school garden project. It aims to create a green space that can be sustained over the long term, where teachers and students work together to tend the vegetable beds, bringing fresh produce to students’ meals and providing practical, hands-on experiences as part of their learning journey.

With the support of MICO Vietnam, Fly To Sky hopes that the “Green Hope” School Vegetable Garden at Trung Minh Primary and Lower Secondary School will become a practical model that can be sustained and developed over the long term, while inspiring similar green school garden initiatives in other under-resourced areas.