In the last week of school, an enthusiastic group of  students in Mme. Dakin's grade 5 and 6 class held a sale of toys, books, organic Assam tea and other items to raise money for the Kids to Kids project.   The sale was attended by students from other classes at the school and raised over $600!  Great work by an inspiring group of kids!   Thanks also go to Emily Kelly for her wonderful presentation about life in rural Assam and how the Kids to Kids project is making a difference!

In villages in Assam, kids are learning how to make vermicompost from locally-available materials like cow manure, leaves and weeds.  The project has been initiated by Prakriti-Save Nature, an NGO based in the town of Jorhat.  Students are shown how to make vermicompost at school.  Each student fills an empty, recycled styrofoam box with partially-decomposed materials and a handful of earthworms.  The castings produced by the earthworms are a great, low-cost source of natural fertilizer.  Many of the kids have encouraged their parents to get involved in the project, and some families are now earning additional income by selling the finished vermicompost!

Christmas is a time for giving.  That is just what the members of a local Under-13 Girls Soccer team thought when it was time for their annual Christmas Party.  Team Thunder, coached by Ash Mohtadi and Sandy Grant, hosted their party last weekend.  Instead of buying each other new gifts, it was decided they would recycle a gift and donate the money saved to a good cause.  The thought was “since we’re used to a 'Green' Christmas anyway, let’s keep it green by helping others in need.”

Team Thunder thought it would be nice to supply children with soccer balls to support soccer across the globe.  The girls have donated $160 to “Kids to Kids” a project that one of their members, Madison Kelly, helped launch.

Peggy Carswell from Fertile Ground, received the money and was very pleased by the generous donation made by the team.
“It’s heart-warming to see the shift taking place in the hearts and minds of young people like Team Thunder’s members.  The girls are really aware of the needs of children here and around the world, and discovering that there’s something they can do to make a difference.”   

 “Most families in the Ambikapur village area are barely able to come up the money for their children’s school fees every year.  The gift of the soccer balls is going to bring smiles to the faces of many kids, teachers and parents!”

Fertile Ground provided kids living in the Comox Valley to connect with their counterparts in Assam at this year's fall fair.  LeighAnn Vaughan, Onyx Vaughan-Ogilvie and Sarah Kerr brought along lots of art supplies for creating drawings and stories to share with children living in villages in rural Assam. 

Earlier this year, photographer and Fertile Ground board member, Sarah Kerr, spent two months working with students in several parts of Assam.  With cameras she collected from supporters in the Comox Valley, she provided instruction to teachers and students in basic digital photography.  Here are some of her favourite images of Kids to Kids at work and play in Assam.  Sarah worked closely with the Assamese NGO Prakriti-Save Nature on this project. 

A successful fundraising event organized by Fertile Ground members LeighAnn Vaughan and Onyx Vaughan-Ogilvie made it possible to purchase desks and benches for children attending the school.  After visiting the school in March 2011, they used some of the money they raised to hire a local carpenter to make desks and benches from locally-sourced bamboo plywood.