ISD partners with SAJIDA Foundation to tackle malnutrition nationwide

To improve the nationwide malnutrition situation, International School Dhaka (ISD) has collaborated with SAJIDA Foundation to create a vertical garden and provide vegetable plants to underprivileged families. The school has created the garden within its campus to grow nutritious vegetables and donate them to families across Bangladesh.

This initiative was launched during the Service Saturday event. Afwaza Rahman Dristy, Senior Coordinator, Urban Poverty Alleviation Program, SAJIDA Foundation, provided hands-on guidance in plant care and emphasised the long-term benefits of sustainable practices. ISD students, along with staff, have planted multiple nutritional vegetables like spinach, mustard greens, tomatoes, eggplants, and chillis in their vertical garden.

The primary mission of the initiative is to combat malnutrition and raise awareness about climate change, especially in vulnerable areas. At the initial stage, ISD students donated vegetable plants to 30 families in the Malibagh slum supported by SAJIDA Foundation's SUDIN programme. In the coming months, both ISD and SAJIDA Foundation plan to donate those nutritional plants to 100 families, and in the coming year, they will contribute to more than 250 families across Bangladesh.

Charles Gumba, Head of Science, CAS Coordinator, ISD, said, "Our students have exemplified a strong understanding of the problem with malnutrition in Bangladesh and the understanding of economic and nutritional realities of the nation."

Farhin Ahmed Twinkle, Coordinator, Partnerships & Fundraising, SAJIDA Foundation, added, "As per icddr,b, around 35 percent of the population tackles food insecurity, and the severe acute malnutrition affects nearly 600,000 children. It is critical for all of us to work towards strengthening the infrastructure of the nation that supports human development. We feel proud to partner with ISD in such a unique and meaningful initiative."