The trees of the T I Ahmadiyya School in Wa

Our day started with a visit to a school which was the first "Green Campus" in the Upper West Region - the T.I. Ahmadiyya School.  The campus houses a primary school, junior high, and high school.  Ahmadiyya is a Muslim school, but about 50% of the students are Christian. There are separate prayer areas for each and everybody gets along. The school building looks a lot like any other school in Wa, but it's the lush orchards of trees that set it apart.

Ahmadiyya was the pilot school for the Upper West Science Foundation's Green Campus Initiative.  Students were given cashew and mango saplings to plant 8 years ago.  These trees grow and begin bearing fruit relatively fast - in 3-4 years.

So why surround a school with a grove of trees?

First, the planting provides agricultural education for the students.  They are taught to plant, care for, and even graft trees so that they grow straight.

Second, Ahmadiyya is surrounded by shade which makes for a cool, inviting learning environment.  The building is cooled by the trees and teachers can even take their classes outside for lessons. As a bonus, the trees shelter the school from heavy rains and storms.

Third, the students and their parents harvest the nuts and mangos and sell them at the Wa market on Sunday afternoons. The profits go to the school to buy various supplies - art supplies, health items, science items.

Last - many students come to school without having eaten. The students are encouraged to eat from the trees so that they've had some breakfast before school begins.

The Upper West Science Foundation would like to bring the Green Campus Initiative to many other rural schools in the Upper West, including those in Lawra where the church has given the majority of its support.