In the 1999-2000 school year, our international project, Making
Connections Through Gardening, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), connected K-8 students in the
United States with students in Nicaragua. More than 50 Ambassador Clubs communicated and shared activities with one
another and schools in Nicaragua.
 Each club had access to curriculum
materials developed by NGA staff, photos and stories collected in the field by
TechnoServe staff, discussion forums, and email pals on our Web site,
www.kidsgardening.com/ambassador.. An introductory package sent to all Clubs included the
country's map and flag, and provided teachers with information on how to
incorporate the materials across the curriculum. The goal of the
project was to increase American students' understanding of the
environmental impact of gardening and agricultural practices in
developing countries.
Stories and photos posted on our Web site described the daily life
of school children from villages surrounding Jinotega in northern
Nicaragua. U.S. students learned about their typical school day,
games, and chores. They also learned about the vegetables (mostly root) and tropical fruits grown in Nicaraguan huertas (home
gardens). Nicaraguan children described how they help with worm
composting (vermicomposting is very popular in Nicaragua), terracing, and spraying herbicides and fumigants. Photos of smiling
children in homes with dirt floors, wood-fired cooking stoves, and dirt yards filled with chickens gave our Ambassador Club kids a
powerful taste of how the Nicaraguan children live.
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The curriculum posted provided opportunities for
students to investigate such topics as Agricultural Practices, Hunger and Nutrition, Environmental
Disasters such as Hurricane Mitch, Deforestation and other environmental problems. Many interesting
projects were carried out by the Ambassador Clubs. Students in the Upper Piedmont region of South
Carolina compared their Temperate Rain Forest with the Tropical Rain Forest in Nicaragua. Another Club
that has erosion problems at their school - which means their carpets are soaked after every rain
- related this to deforestation in Nicaragua. Children wrote letters in Spanish, constructed biographical
cut-outs of themselves, and sent their state maps, pressed state flowers, posters of native plants and
animals, and more to their friends in Nicaragua.
 Teachers used the Discussion Forum to share resources, projects, and difficulties. If they did not know Spanish, they sought help through the translation sites on the Internet, Spanish-speaking parents, community members, and students. Pre- and post-test results revealed a significant increase in both
students' and teachers' knowledge of agricultural practices and environmental issues in Nicaragua. Ambassador Clubs across the country closed the school year with presentations and festivities
demonstrating their understanding and appreciation of Nicaraguan culture.
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