Altiplano

Oruro

Greenhouse and Environmental Education Project

Project Summary

In Bolivia, teacher-training programs are responsible for the pedagogical training of all teachers. Often these programs receive little funding. As a result, environmental education curriculum rarely is emphasized, and when taught, they are poorly developed. There is little understanding that improving environmental quality creates many social, economic and health benefits. Without this education, environmental degradation occurs.

Examples abound: garbage lines every street, improperly disposed refuse causes diarrhea and other illnesses and people obtain their drinking water from rivers that are used to wash clothes. Often, the solution is simple and inexpensive—educate the public that drinking dirty water causes sickness while designating a downstream laundry area. Other times the solution is more costly and time consuming—build a garbage dump, educate the public and develop the infrastructure to collect and transport the garbage. Both solutions highlight the importance of education. However, the reality is that Bolivia's destitution makes resources and information difficult to attain. This transforms even simple solutions into problematic tasks. We want to help change this by providing resources and making information accessible.

TERRA targets projects that can be used for education and that have a practical application. To this end, TERRA has built an educational greenhouse at the Institute Normal Superior Angel Mendoza Justiniano to train teachers in proper environmental educational activities. Greenhouses provide an activity-based framework for education in which students can learn about such things as how crop yields change as a function of soil type, how companion planting improves productivity, and how integrated pest management reduces risk. Furthermore, greenhouses can be used for small business ventures such as flower production and for general food quality and diversity improvement.

Greenhouse construction underwayConstruction of the environmental facility began in April and concluded this November. TERRA is currently working to install a environmental education curriculum using the greenhouse as the practical center.

Read the Oruro Project Proposal
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Project Brief
Title:
Project Instituto Normal Superior Angel Mendoza Justiniano: Greenhouse and Environmental Education Program
Status:
Funded and completed
Location:
Instituto Normal Superior Angel Mendoza Justiniano, Department of Oruro, Altiplano, Bolivia
Participants:
TERRA Resource Development International and the Instituto Normal Superior Angel Mendoza Justiniano
Cost:
$3,000 USD