Gardening Training on the First Day of Spring!

Saturday, March 20^th marked our first training/gardening experience together! Meeting at the Old Well at 10 am, appreciating the spectacular weather, and bathing in Aveeno sunscreen, we walked (Taylor biked) to the Carolina Garden Co-Op, which we thought was on Battle Road behind Kenan Dorm. When we saw a rundown, weed-ridden landscape, some of us lost hope in the Garden Training Day. Matt felt inspired, at the ready to plunge through the rough terrain, weeding as he went. Others— including our guest Mo, Julia’s longtime friend from Worcester—were skeptical. Sarah remembered, however, that the Carolina Garden Co-Op was somewhere off of Cameron Avenue on one’s way to Carrboro (did ambiguity/the unknown frighten us?!): we embarked! Trudging through a 5K running group (and cheering on a sprinting dog and fast five year-old) and splitting off by gender at the crosswalk (tisk tisk), we arrived at the Carolina Garden Co-Op where much work was underway.

Our friend Grace MacNair introduced us to the Garden and the process of laying the beds. Our goal was to layer each bed with cardboard and then layer it all with mulch. Some of us pulled loads of tape off of cardboard; some of us used the cardboard to puzzle together a pathway; some of us shoveled mulch into wheelbarrows; some of us got really personal with the mulch (…), spreading an eight inch layer (with our hands!) over the cardboard pathways. All of us worked really hard and had a great time contributing to the garden and engaging with each other. At the end of the work day, the garden’s beds were completely covered with cardboard/mulch and the garden’s leaders had no idea the Co-Op was going to accomplish so much in a few hours’ time. We’re definitely planning to make the experience a regular one!

After the training—and an ‘interesting’ photoshoot :)—we went to McCallister’s, then sunbathed on the upper quad, and discussed a wide array of subjects, from nationalistic identity to clown felons! What a blast!

Project Information

As promised, here is some more information about our project, presented in FAQ format!

What is the project?

Our project is multi-faceted in approach but vectors into two primary areas: English education and agro-ecological development. Project team members will work with CDV faculty to increase their proficiency in conversational English, formal English, and subject-specific vocabulary through assistance in daily lesson planning and classroom instruction. By the end of the project, we aim to increase the faculty’s confidence in conducting their classes in English and decrease students’ reliance on disadvantageous teaching methods like French-English translation and rote learning. This will help CDV instructors to meet the challenges of the new English-only curriculum, required by the Rwandan government as of 2008.


Alongside this initiative, we will be working with students in the expansion of a small-scale agricultural project designed to effectively teach a technical trade and simultaneously decrease CDV’s food costs. Team members would collaborate with CDV’s Environmental Student Organization to physically expand the garden and increase student awareness with regard to methods of sustainable agriculture. By the end of the project, CDV students would have the tools and knowledge necessary to maintain the garden independently.


Who is CDV?

College Doctrina Vitae (CDV) is a alternative secondary school in Ndera, Rwanda.
The school is unique in that it provides an education and community for students who haven’t met the requirements to enroll in public schools and cannot afford expensive private school fees. CDV accepts all students regardless of their ability to pay. There are currently 527 students enrolled at the school.

Many of the students at the school have been directly affected by the 1994 genocide. Twenty-one percent of the students are genocide orphans and thirty-eight percent have only a single parent. Although only forty-four students have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, many more suffer from similar ailments. For all of these reasons, CDV must remain open to ensure that the youngest generation affected by the genocide does not become socially marginalized.

The school’s continued operation is dependent upon a certain level of student performance on national exams, which must be administered in English due to governmental changes in the language of instruction. While continued English education is necessary for CDV to remain open in the short term, it is also vital in the students’ transition into the English-speaking East African community.


Why CDV?

As a part of UNC's Burch Research Seminar on Conflict, Reconciliation, Justice and International Law in Rwanda and the Hague, a group of UNC students had the opportunity to volunteer at CDV. Upon returning to UNC in the Fall, the students from this program made the decision to maintain their relationship with CDV, and began searching for ways to support CDV's development. In December, the UNC Chapter of Nourish International approved the project proposal detailed above. In January, Matt and Julia were selected as co-leaders for the project, and in mid-February, four amazing individuals, Cara, Taylor, Sarah, and Oumou were chosen to participate on the project this summer, expanding the UNC/CDV family!