Toko School is Growing

Recently, Toko Rural Women visited Toko School to see what they’ve been doing with the money received from the Farmlands and Rural Women Fruit and Vegetable Garden Grant in 2012.

“The school has been very busy,” says Helen Jones, President of the Central Taranaki Dinner Group and member of the Toko Rural Women group. “They have used the funds to plant a heritage orchard, have learned about planting and looking after the trees as well as how to graft. It was really great to see so much done.”

The school has also planted feijoa trees as shelter for their orchard, and will sell the fruit to help fund their future ventures, including investing in chickens to be able to sell the eggs.

The school has just finished building a greenhouse out of recycled plastic bottles that will serve two purposes. The first is to grow seedlings for the orchard and vegetable garden inside, while the second is for the children to design a watering system using the runoff from the greenhouse.

“We were invited along by Toko School’s principal, Kim Waite, to have a look at everything done to date. All in all the ladies from Toko Rural Women were very impressed with how the school’s used its funds from the Farmlands and us, and their Principal was most grateful for the opportunity the students have been given.”

You can visit their school website to see the progress the Heritage Orchard has made, www.toko.school.nz.

More great images from the visit to Toko School.