Activities connected to garden v1

We’ve done it! After several weeks of workshops with the children to make Christmas decorations from plants, the big day of hanging them on the tree has arrived!In addition to the stars formed with little fir branches and the multicoloured … Read More

As part of the Christmas workshops, the children worked on small wooden discs measuring 5 to 7 cm in diameter and approximately 5 mm thick.Each disc became a blank canvas for creativity: the children decorated both sides, giving free rein … Read More

We invited a group of 12 children from the Bercy school, accompanied by Designing Hope during their after-school hours, to discover the Transgardens exhibition — games and vegetable gardens bridging Africa at the Instantanée Galerie. The exhibition features the “Coffret … Read More

Christmas preparations continue at the Traversine nursery, this time with the creation of original greeting cards!The children discovered the technique of fingerprinting, a simple and fun approach that puts creativity at their fingertips.Using stylised fir tree drawings made with black … Read More

À l’approche des fêtes, le jardin de la Traversine reprend ses couleurs de Noël ! Comme chaque année, les enfants participent à la préparation de décorations végétales qui viendront embellir le sapin installé dans le jardin.Cette fois-ci, c’est un sapin stylisé … Read More

Before the school closed for the summer holidays — which take place in December and January in southern Africa — the six young students training at St Paul’s School’s educational farm in Leribe had an exceptional harvest. They have worked … Read More

Discover in pictures a cooking activity offered by the Desigining hope association in collaboration with the Centre Paris Anim’ Annie Fratellini. As part of the activities carried out in the Traversine Villiot garden, in the heart of the Villiot-Rapée residence, … Read More

Les enfants de maternelle de Bercy ont eu la fierté de transplanter dans les bacs de culture les jeunes plants de blettes issus de leurs propres semis réalisés cet automne.Un beau moment de jardinage à la Traversine Bercy, qui leur permet de … Read More

In the garden at La Traversine Bercy, nursery school children took part in a game of vegetable memory, with cards showing vegetables in their ‘open’ and ‘closed’ states laid out on a large table in the garden.This game is part … Read More

This week, primary school pupils in Bercy made small paper windmills to brighten up the Traversine garden. Each child began by decorating a square of paper, painted on both sides with bright colours. Once the creations were finished, the sheets … Read More

At Malanti’s Garden of Skills, the women have just harvested the cabbages planted during the southern winter, which are now perfectly ripe. This harvest marks the culmination of several months of careful work, from the nursery to the care given … Read More

Malik and Abdourahmane, the two people in charge of cultivating the shared gardens in Dawady, have actively supported the women working in the gardens set up in five villages on the outskirts of Dawady, with the support of The Ivory … Read More

Designing Hope entrusted the women of the Garden of Skills in Eswatini with the task of making textile memory games, which are now included in the “Friends of the Vegetable Garden” box set. Thirty-two fruits and vegetables were printed on … Read More

For 15 years, the Designing Hope association has been welcoming around 60 orphaned children from the township to Roosboom Halfway House every afternoon to share a hot meal after school. In the centre’s small kitchen, Lulu and Fisani prepare simple, … Read More

The ‘Friends of the Vegetable Garden box set’ was designed by the Designing Hope Association as an educational tool to support its activities in France, Southern Africa and West Africa.This video shows how beneficiaries in Southern Africa have embraced these … Read More

At Levi’s Nek Farm, founded with the support of The Ivory Foundation, young deaf and hard-of-hearing people have quickly embraced the new games in the Friends of the Vegetable Garden box set.The Seed to Plate Game and The Guardians of … Read More

The vegetable dominoes game and the Fast Potager game are part of the ‘Coffret des amis du Potager’ (Friends of the Vegetable Garden Box Set). Available from the online shop.

At Levi’s Nek Farm, deaf and hard-of-hearing young people use the Open/Closed Vegetables Memory game to present the 25 vegetables illustrated in the game using sign language.Using the cards, they show the sign corresponding to each vegetable, creating a new … Read More

At the Halfway House in Roosboom, South Africa, Designing Hope welcomes orphaned children every afternoon for academic support, outdoor games and fun activities, before serving them a meal at the end of the day. Discovering the Friends of the Vegetable … Read More

In Wouro Hamma, a village located in the bush 30 minutes from Dawady, Eastern Senegal, the community vegetable garden is beginning to bear fruit! Malik and Abdourahmane, who are in charge of the Dawady shared garden and its six surrounding … Read More

Spring is slow to bring the first rains to the garden of skills in Eswatini, after a cold and dry winter in southern Africa.The cabbages still haven’t been harvested. However, the banana trees are starting to bear their first fruits!

Cette semaine, une nouvelle activité de plantation a animé le jardin de la Traversine Villiot à Paris : les enfants ont participé à la mise en place de plants de fraisiers dans le Keyhole du potager, ce grand bac circulaire … Read More

The nursery school children continued their sowing activity, this time focusing on turnips.The seeds used came from our partner Agrosemens, a loyal supporter of the educational programme.After observing the small black turnip seeds, the children carefully sowed them in the … Read More

Malik and Abdourahmane, the two people in charge of cultivation in the Dawady community garden, have actively supported the women working in the gardens set up in five villages on the outskirts of Dawady, with the support of The Ivory … Read More

This week, children from Bercy Primary School took part in a sowing workshop in the educational garden at La Traversine Bercy.Under the guidance of the Designing Hope team, the children began by preparing the substrate: a mixture of sifted soil … Read More

This week, the nursery school children took part in a new sowing activity in the educational garden at La Traversine Bercy, based on a theme dear to the project: the life cycle of plants, from seed to seed. The workshop … Read More

At La Traversine Bercy, children celebrated autumn with an artistic stencil painting activity inspired by the colours and shapes of the season. Armed with stencils representing around fifteen varieties of tree leaves, brushes, sponges and warm-coloured paints — red, orange, … Read More

Young trainees at St Paul’s School’s educational farm in Leribe have harvested a bountiful crop of Swiss chard in the circular Palissa garden, which they maintain alongside the school’s pupils. Throughout the week, pupils from the four classes take turns … Read More

At St Paul’s School in Leribe, the six students training in agriculture are actively continuing their work on the educational farm set up by The Ivory Foundation.In recent weeks, they have been able to harvest spinach grown both in the … Read More

The children of the Villiot nursery are happily resuming their little routines in the Traversine garden, located right next to the nursery. Like real little gardeners, they come to put kitchen peelings in the compost bin, as all meals are … Read More

At Malanti’s Garden of Skills in Eswatini, spring is the ideal time to propagate sweet potatoes. The women in charge of the vegetable garden set to work transplanting cuttings taken from existing plants, a simple and effective technique for multiplying … Read More

Boulel is one of five villages surrounding the Dawady community garden, which was set up with the active support of local coordinatorsMalik and Abdourahmane, and the backing of The Ivory Foundation and the Marie-Pierre Crosnier Mangeat Foundation. The first step … Read More

The Traversine Bercy roof garden was inaugurated on 27 August 2025 in its new configuration, in the presence of Audrey Pulvar, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of sustainable food, agriculture and short supply chains, Emmanuelle Pierre-Marie, Mayor of the … Read More

The five women in charge of vegetable production are currently preparing the nursery for the coming spring in southern Africa. They are working the soil, selecting the seeds and starting the first sowings. At the same time, they are continuing … Read More

Now that the fences have been installed in the four villages selected by The Ivory Foundation on the outskirts of Dawady, the women can finally start their gardening activities. Malik and Abdhouramane, who are in charge of the programme, went … Read More

In Roosboom, South Africa, Fisani, manager of the Halfway House, is fully committed to managing the vegetable garden in order to optimise its production. She can count on the support of four women and two men from the township, who … Read More

As part of its commitment to agro-ecology, The Ivory Foundation has installed a greenhouse at the Village Pilote association in Senegal. The aim of the project is to produce local seeds and a large quantity of vegetables to make the … Read More

At the Saint-Paul School for the Deaf in Leribe, Lesotho, a sowing activity was organised with the youngest pupils. Under the coordination of Tsephane, head of the educational farm, six agricultural students first prepared the plots. The children then took … Read More

The artichokes in the Traversine garden on the roof terrace of the Bercy school have thrived magnificently this year. Planted last year, the plant produced just one flower… but this year it has five! This fine result illustrates the productivity … Read More

Children from the Bercy kindergarten had the pleasure of picking the very first raspberries of the season in the Traversine Bercy garden. Thanks to generous sunshine from the roof terrace, the fruit ripened two to three weeks ahead of schedule. … Read More

At the Jardin de la Traversine Bercy, nursery school children took part in a fun and educational activity designed by the Designing Hope around vegetable plants. A large illustrated board featuring 25 leaves of fruit and vegetables grown in the … Read More

The Dawady seed production greenhouse is thriving! Malik and Abdourahmane, now helped by two young trainees, are watering the greenhouse in the mornings and evenings to cope with the hot weather. The planting beds have been carefully organised according to … Read More

In addition to the five women in charge of the vegetable garden at the Halfway house in Roosboom, two men help out four days a week with the more physical tasks. This month, they set about creating a second nursery, … Read More

The vegetable garden team set about enlarging the beds to increase their yield. The large grassy areas on either side of the rows of beds have been reduced, providing a 40% gain in cultivable area. These beds, located close to … Read More

For the past few months, the shared garden at Kambene Kafo, adjacent to the Dawady health center, has been revitalized by the overburdening of the well, which is now fully operational. Deepened by 10 m, the well provides the water … Read More

At the Traversine Villiot garden, 12 children from the Paris Anim’ Annie Fratellini center gathered to work on the petals of the vegetable mandala. The children worked enthusiastically together, under the guidance of the Designing Hope educational team. They began … Read More

The Traversine Villiot garden, surrounded by apartment buildings, benefits from an open-ground layout, which is an advantage compared to the Bercy roof terrace, but suffers from a lack of sunlight, especially during the winter period.This makes the garden a breeding … Read More

At the Traversine Bercy garden, school children are actively involved in growing strawberries on the roof terrace. After transplanting the runners into new trays in the autumn and helping with weeding, maintenance and watering throughout the year, they were able … Read More

The Traversine Bercy garden celebrates the first year of its reinstallation on the roof terrace of the Bercy school in its new configuration. The vegetated structures are now all planted, and the plants are in full growth, offering a verdant, … Read More

Construction of the sanitary block for the future single-family homes of the farm’s three young people has begun. These beneficiaries are the most committed and autonomous of the ten current residents. The Ivory Foundation is building the sanitary block through … Read More

The children at Bercy school are proud to have grown their own tomato plants ! Back in February, they sowed seeds in cups set up in the school playground. At the end of March, the young shoots were transplanted to the … Read More

This spring, children from the Paris Anim’ Annie Fratellini center took part in a permaculture gardening activity organized by the Designing Hope association in the Traversine Villiot garden. Children experimented with vertical gardening by taking over the bamboo teepee in … Read More

At Levi’s Nek Farm, the horse plays an essential role in agricultural work, particularly for plot maintenance and sowing. The farm’s young people prepare a mixture of seed, compost and manure, which they then place in furrows created using an … Read More

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Parisculteurs project, the association Designing Hope was invited to present its educational garden, La Traversine, at an event organized by the DEVE on the Jardin des Traverses.  La Traversine garden, installed on the … Read More

Today, children from the Bercy school took part in a leek planting activity at the Traversine garden, supervised by animators from the Designing Hope association. Before getting started, the organizers explained the essential steps for ensuring good leek growth: cutting … Read More

It’s time to transfer the young plants produced in the greenhouse to the Traversine Villiot garden. Zucchinis, broccoli, cauliflower and leeks take their place on the first petals of the garden’s mandala. The soil has been cleared of weeds, loosened … Read More

La Traversine organizers have built a double-bin composter for the Bercy garden. Specially designed for this above-ground garden, it will enable biomass from vegetable garden maintenance to be recycled. The first bin will receive compostable waste to produce rich compost, … Read More

Following a reorganisation of the roof terrace at Handiscole’s inclusive Petits Princes school in Rufisque, Senegal, new pots have been installed in the vegetable garden. The 10-litre water containers, which are very popular in Senegal, are among the recycled containers … Read More

The young people at Levi’s Nek farm have learned to season “pap”, the staple cornmeal in Lesotho, with vegetable sauces made from their own garden produce. On today’s menu, chard with onions and peppers, seasoned with natural spices and rosemary … Read More

Strawberries are thriving in Southern Africa… The few plants brought back from the Garden of Skills in Eswatini have multiplied in Lesotho… The young residents of Levi’s Nek farm learned how to make the most of the runners produced by … Read More

The deaf and hard-of-hearing youngsters at Levi’s Nek farm producencorn to feed their chickens, but also for their own consumption.Freshly harvested, the shucked corn is grilled over a wood fire in a homemade frying pan.

Under the guidance of Tsephane, the head of the educational farm set up by The Ivory Foundation at St Paul’s school in Leribe, 6 young students take care of the animals (chickens, cows and pigs) on a daily basis, and … Read More

As part of its commitment to the isolated villages around the Dawady health centre, The Ivory Foundation is supporting the creation of four new market gardens this year. The villages selected for this programme benefit from access to water, which … Read More

Relaunched a few months ago thanks to the overburdening of the well, the shared market garden perimeter of Kambene Kafo, located near the Dawady health center, is currently entirely cultivated with bissap.This traditional plant was chosen because of the short … Read More

The Traversine Bercy garden pergola consists of a 3.5m-wide metal structure, surrounded by wooden containers for growing aromatical herbs. In the center of the pergola, Dessine l’Espoir team has just installed a large clover-shaped table, surrounded by 12 metal and … Read More

Dessine L’Espoir association took part in Paris Sème alongside the Parisculteurs. We led fun workshops to raise awareness of sustainable agriculture among young and old alike, presenting educational games used by the association in various schools, whether in Rufisque, Paris … Read More

To accompany the decorated wooden birds hanging from the pergola, children from Bercy school and CLAJE painted wooden flowers to embellish the garden at La Traversine Bercy. The two sides of each flower were painted by two different children, an … Read More

Malik and Abdourahmane, in charge of the Dawady garden, oversee both the greenhouse dedicated to seed production and a vast market garden plot intended to supply fresh vegetables to pregnant women at thenearby health center. In this particularly hot, dry … Read More

Following a reorganisation of the terrace linked to the extension of the school, and the construction of a new canteen close to the vegetable garden, new containers were installed on the roof garden. The recycled plastic containers, cut in half … Read More

The strawberry plants harvested in September had time to develop over the winter, and were replanted by the kindergarteners in the Bercy school garden, alongside kiwis, vines and other climbers. Elementary school children also helped enrich the garden by planting … Read More

At the Saint-Paul School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Leribe, Lesotho, the children take part in the upkeep of the educational plots with the help of Tsephane, the school’s farm manager, and the 6 young students under … Read More

At St Paul’s School for the Deaf, in Leribe, Lesotho, 6 young people are training on the educational farm set up in 2016 by The Ivory Foundation.Under the guidance of Tsephane, educational manager and head of cultivation, they have been … Read More

The Garden of Skills greenhouse provides a protected space for growing crops, complementing the nursery area.

As the weather did not allow us to work in the vegetable garden, we decided to create a memory game with the children. We printed black and white drawings of fruit and vegetables in vegetable gardens or baskets on sheets … Read More

Every day, Joseph accompanies the children of the inclusive Petits Princes Handiscole school in Rufisque (Senegal) to the school’s roof terrace to help with the upkeep of the vegetable garden. Installed in 2022 by Designing Hope, with the support of … Read More

Children from the CLAJE, a community center in the Villiot-rapée area of the 12th arrondissement of Paris, joined the Designing Hope team for an afternoon of gardening in the Traversine Villiot garden, where they transplanted seedlings collected on the roof … Read More

The chard plants produced in the garden nursery have been transplanted. onto the newly-created beds in the greenhouse garden at Halfway House in Roosboom. Thanks to the automatic watering system installed in the greenhouse, these seedlings should grow quickly and … Read More

To ensure efficient plant production in their greenhouse, The Ivory Foundation provided Dawady Farm with a system of bottomless trays to be positioned on the ground, in trenches previously dug to retain soil moisture. This system increases nursery yields, compared … Read More

In 2024, The Ivory Foundation added Village Pilote to its seed production program in Senegal by installing a 200 m² greenhouse dedicated to the production of reproducible peasant seeds. The aim is to support young people in vulnerable situations by … Read More

Young deaf and hard-of-hearing farmers from Levi’s Nek have harvested part of their potato field. These vegetables will be added to the tomatoes, peppers and spinach harvested to fill the parcels of fresh vegetables distributed to the most vulnerable HIV-positive … Read More

Young deaf and hard-of-hearing people at Levi’s Nek farm have been able to harvest a large crop of tomatoes and peppers grown in their greenhouse.As part of the long-term partnership between the Farming our Future farm and the Levi’s Nek … Read More

To ensure the preparation and maintenance of the garden at Roosboom’s Halfway House, which has now doubled in size, a new team has been set up, reinforced by 4 women and 2 men from Roosboom. They work 3 days a … Read More

Every day, the four women in charge of the Garden of Skills vegetable garden maintain the crops grown on this one-hectare plot of land. Transplanting, weeding, watering, hoeing, sowing… the tasks are many and varied, so as to make the … Read More

Set up in 2021 by Designing Hope with the support of Marie Munoz, the garden installed on the roof terrace of the Petits Princes school in Rufisque (Senegal) brings many benefits to the children of this inclusive school. Supervised by … Read More

Designing Hope has provided the Petits Princes school in Rufisque with new educational games for children, including memory games on vegetables and insects useful in the garden. These games, tested with the youngest pupils, have been very well received, enriching … Read More

Once the beds had been prepared, and the soil refined and weeded, the women of Roosboom set about preparing a typical bed, sown with carrots in rows close together, according to permaculture principles.In fact, we try to maximize production on … Read More

While the greenhouse is still under construction by the Lesotho team, a team of 4 women and 2 men from Roosboom set about installing the growing beds in the greenhouse, under the guidance of Sphephile and Fezile, who had come … Read More

In order to have a vegetable garden full of vegetables throughout the seasons, it’s crucial to have a well-organized nursery that regularly produces the plants needed to line the garden beds, in addition to the species planted directly in the … Read More

Now that water is available in the garden of Roosboom’s Halfway House, thanks to the borehole and the installation of a pump supplying the 10,000-liter water tank, we were able to install automatic watering for the vegetable garden. A main … Read More

We’re delighted to welcome new groups to the Bercy garden. Curious and full of energy, they were able to explore the garden despite the cold and get a first taste of the plantations and tools they’ll be using in future … Read More

To help birds overwinter in the garden, children from école de Bercy and CLAJE made wooden bird nesting boxes and installed them in both gardens.It’s important for children to become aware of the different species that a garden can be … Read More

To complete the construction and installation of the bird nesting boxes, children from the Bercy school decorated small wooden birds. Once painted and varnished, the children hung them under the garden’s pergola, where aromatic herbs and climbing beans grow alongside … Read More

With the help of our animators, the elementary school students made bird nesting boxes. A nesting box is a small wooden house where birds can safely nest, rest or raise their offspring. The children took it in turns to assemble … Read More

During this creative activity, CLAJE children had the opportunity to express themselves and personalize their own signs by writing their names on them and adding motifs with stencils in the shape of flowers and vegetables. They decorated their signs with … Read More

Once the greenhouse’s wooden poles and metal frame were in place, the sunshade fabric, which had been hand-sewn with a nylon cord, was positioned on the structure. A perimeter trench was then dug all around the greenhouse to bury the … Read More

To complete the nursery, additional seedlings have been placed in traditional seed trays.Regular watering is important to prevent them drying out too quickly.The children at Halfway House take on this task every day! A project undertaken by Designing Hope with … Read More

Once the nursery frame and internal grid had been installed, all that remained to be done was to fit a protective frame with a number of purposes:– Reduce the intensity of the sun’s rays, which are particularly hot in southern … Read More

At Roosboom, young plants have a number of enemies: the sun, lack of water and attacks by locusts and grasshoppers, which love young shoots… So we designed a system of bottomless trellises that has the advantage of drying out less … Read More

With the water reservoir just in place to collect water pumped from the ground by the Halfway house borehole, the plumber laid a large-diameter line from the borehole along the length of the greenhouse to install the drip system. 4 … Read More

After preparing the growing beds inside the greenhouse, the Roosboom team started working on the new plot of land recently made available to Halfway House by Roosboom Town Council. The humid summer is the ideal time to prepare the soil, … Read More

Young farmers from Levi’s Nek farm in Lesotho came to Roosboom to share their know-how and build a 200 m² greenhouse on the Halfway House site, similar to those they have already built on their own farm.Pine poles are set … Read More

Summer, which corresponds to the rainy season in southern Africa, is the ideal time to set up a fertiliser tree nursery. These trees have been chosen for their ability to fertilise the soil by producing nitrogen nodules at their roots, … Read More

In the run-up to Christmas, the children at Bercy kindergarten took part in a creative workshop to make their own greetings cards.We started by cutting out pieces of cardboard to obtain blank cards the size of stencils. Using the stencils, … Read More

All set! All the elements are ready to be hung on the Christmas Teepee in the Traversine Villiot garden! Plant balls, stars decorated with fir branches and pine cones, colored bamboo snowflakes, wooden snowmen… Despite the cold, the children enjoyed … Read More

Children from the Bercy elementary school played an active role in decorating the Christmas Tipi in the Traversine Villiot garden.Among their creations, based exclusively on plants, they decorated stars made from strings wrapped around a wire, using Christmas tree branches … Read More

Christmas is approaching, and the garden teepee is being transformed into a festive Christmas tree! Several workshops were organized to bring this metamorphosis to life…Children from CLAJE (Centre Paris Anim de Villiot) made little snowmen from 2 wooden washers for … Read More

Every year, the tipi in the Villiot vegetable garden is transformed into a Christmas tree, adorned with plant-based Christmas decorations! As part of this animation, pupils from Bercy elementary school made stars by assembling bamboo branches with raffia. After painting … Read More

The production from the nursery has been a real success on the Levi’s Nek farm! It has enabled the farm’s young residents to cultivate tomato and butternut beds in open fields. These crops complement the bell pepper seedlings already transplanted … Read More

The Ivory Foundation has provided the Levi’s Nek farm with bottomless trays to optimize seedling production in the greenhouse. The advantage of this method is to maintain a high level of substrate humidity by positioning the trays in 10cm-deep trenches … Read More

Children from the Bercy kindergarten made unique, colorful maracas by reusing applesauce containers. To begin with, they applied a coat of varnish to the packaging to make it easier for the paint to adhere. They then chose a solid color … Read More

A great day at Halfway House! Thanks to the support of the Bel Foundation and The Ivory Foundation, a borehole has been drilled on the grounds of Halfway House in Roosboom. This is part of the plan to improve the … Read More

This afternoon, elementary school pupils created a magnificent piece of Land Art in their school garden. Using dried leaves, chestnuts and small sticks, they imagined and assembled a collective work of art. Everyone contributed in their own way, exchanging ideas … Read More

A few weeks after they have been planted, it’s time to cover the potatoes to increase their productivity,  by creating a mound around the base of the plant to encourage rooting and the development of the root network.Teamwork for the … Read More

Children from Bercy elementary school drew inspiration from their own interests to create their own paintings. After gluing the dried leaves to the paper, they drew around them to imagine unique shapes. One, for example, formed a soccer player, while … Read More

Today, the CLAJE children took part in an insect hotel activity. After learning which insects use these shelters to spend the winter, such as ladybugs and solitary bees, they had the opportunity to fill the insect hotel already present in … Read More

Once again, the horse at Levi’s Nek farm will be taking part in the farming activity… He will be in charge of pulling the seed drill, in which the youngsters have mixed the seeds with a blend of compost, manure … Read More

In Dawady, a small town 1.5 hours by track from Tambacounda in eastern Senegal, the community garden set up in 2018 by The Ivory Foundation next to the local health center fulfills two objectives:It hosts 150 women in a large … Read More

The young residents of Levi’s Nek farm have begun installing automatic watering systems in the greenhouses. An initial large-diameter tube was connected to the water tower running along the side of the 2 greenhouses. Pre-drilled pipes were then drawn from … Read More

If there’s one vegetable that amazes children in the Traversine Bercy vegetable garden, it’s the Blauhilde bean from our seed partner : Agrosemens.And yes, this pole bean, which looks so good on our pergola, isn’t green, it’s purple!Its long pods … Read More

After harvesting and preparing the vegetables, we gave them to the kindergarten children at Bercy school to taste, under the garden’s pergola, which was still covered with our climbing beans… They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, with some children preferring the tomato … Read More

Today, children from the school and CLAJE had the opportunity to meet Shapari Behzadi, a visual artist and teacher from Tehran. She organized a creative activity based on natural elements such as branches, leaves, straw and bundles. The activity involved … Read More

We brought back the harvest from the Bercy school garden to cook all the vegetables. We used the tomatoes to make delicious little tarts topped with cheese. Leeks also found their place in our dishes, cooked with onions and olive … Read More

At the start of this mild, sunny autumn, we harvested the last of the vegetables from the Bercy school garden!Leeks, tomatoes, chard, butternut, beans… We harvested a generous basket to cook them for the Semaine du Goût (Taste Week).It was … Read More

Despite a gloomy summer, growing on a roof terrace has the great advantage of capturing 100% of the sun’s rays.So, even if the sun only shows its nose for an hour a day, or plays hide-and-seek with the clouds, its … Read More

Sowing day at Traversine Bercy!As part of our extracurricular activities with the kindergarten, we got 10 children involved in sowing vegetables adapted to the season.Beans, spinach and chard were on the agenda…To sow the seeds with the right spacing between … Read More

In Villiot garden, children from Bercy school and CLAJE had the opportunity to decorate terracotta pots. Using brushes and brightly-colored paints, their creativity was given free rein.  Some chose to decorate their pots with floral motifs, while others preferred abstract … Read More

To mark the annual party at the Villiot residence, the Designing Hope association organised a cooking workshop in the garden to make the most of the produce from the garden.Freshly harvested spinach was cooked with onions to make the main … Read More

The women in charge of the vegetable garden at the Garden of Skills in Malanti, Eswatini, work their beds according to the principle of crop associations.In this way, the beds are never empty, crops are harvested according to kitchen needs, … Read More

The “wintering” period is not the most favorable for seed production, with its heavy rains favoring the development of diseases such as mildew.Abdhouramane, the man in charge of the Bala garden, has nevertheless maintained a varied production during this period, … Read More

In Roosboom, the spring rains are a long time coming.The gardener at Halfway House had to fetch water from the river in cans to water the garden.Water shortages are frequent in the township, putting the garden at risk.

In Dawady, eastern Senegal, the community garden installed by The Ivory Foundation next to the health center is coming back to life after the well was overburdened.As the water level had dropped, the well had to be deepened by a … Read More

To enable schoolchildren to observe vegetables throughout their life cycle,we resist the pleasure of tasting them, to let them go to seed…The artichoke in the center of the vegetable garden’s large star-shaped tub revealed a magnificent blue flower, attracting bees … Read More

At the Traversine Bercy garden, we focus on observing the life cycle of the vegetable from seed to seed.Our pretty cauliflower was magnificent during summer ! After forming a beautiful white head over 20cm in diameter, it began to change … Read More

On the roof terrace of the Bercy school, space is limited… As a result, the planters are never empty!After removing the tomato plants, they were replaced by celery plants grown in the greenhouse.They will finish growing before winter arrives…

Today, the children at Bercy school took part in a fun activity : a Memory game about fruits and vegetables! Our warmest thanks go to the Garden of Skills sewing workshop in Eswatini for making this lovely fabric game, which … Read More

On their first day at Traversine Bercy, the kindergarteners from the Bercy School had the opportunity to visit the garden and discover the different fruits and vegetables that grow there: beans, strawberries, squash, cherry tomatoes… By observing the inside of … Read More

The women in charge of the garden and the gardener at Halfway House are preparing for the arrival of spring!The cold, dry southern winter will give way to the temperate, rainy summer season, ideal for planting new crops.The beds are … Read More

The Ivory Foundation has financed the establishment of a small agroforestry seed production farm in Bala, eastern Senegal, within the health center of the Le Kaicedrat association.Crops are grown in a 200m2 greenhouse, with insect-proof netting, and on beds planted … Read More

The four women in charge of the vegetable garden at the Garden of Skills water the beds every morning, and the method of combining crops and harvesting them gradually means that the beds are never empty. The women replace vegetables … Read More

The young residents of Levi’s Nek farm are about to launch their first large-scale potato production… The seedlings were purchased thanks to the sale of cabbages harvested in quantity at the end of the austral winter. A complete plot has … Read More

Every day, the women take turns maintaining the Malanti community garden. Part of the Garden of Skills, this 2,000m2 plot of cultivated land is open to the women of the Malanti community, who each benefit from 3 plots of land. … Read More

Every week, the children of Roosboom take part in the upkeep of the Roosboom vegetable garden, helping the women and the center’s gardener with watering, sowing, planting and harvesting the vegetables that will end up on their plates!A daily meal … Read More

Every day, the children of the women working in the garden, or training in the sewing workshop, are welcomed at the Garden of Skills crèche. Two supervisors are in charge of activities with the children, including outdoor activities and Montessori-based … Read More

The women in charge of the vegetable garden at the Garden of Skills spend part of each day looking after the nursery: watering the growing cells, preparing new cells, sowing new plants, etc. It’s important to put new seedlings into … Read More

The tomatoes sown by the children of the Bercy school before the arrival of spring have blossomed in the Traversine kitchen garden!Elongated tomatoes, beef hearts, cherry tomatoes – we chose a variety of varieties, and they all flourished during the … Read More

Twice a week, the children from the Villiot crèche visit the Traversine Villiot vegetable garden.This well-established ritual involves maintaining the compost with peelings from the crèche kitchen, collected by the children in the morning, and watering the vegetable garden with … Read More

As the school year draws to a close, the children took part in a final harvest in the Traversine Bercy garden.Strawberries, radishes, turnips, the first cherry tomatoes and a sprig of lavender…The children were delighted to see their efforts in … Read More

At the Garden of Skills, the children in the crèche start the day by tending their own little vegetable garden, the Teen-Gi garden, accompanied by the crèche manager and one of the women in charge of the centre’s garden. The … Read More

Twice a week, weather permitting, the children from the Villiot Rapée crèche help to maintain the vegetable garden. After planting the leeks 2 weeks ago, they are now ensuring that they grow well by conscientiously watering them…

It’s Friday, the last day of the week before the weekend! So it’s time for some special care for the garden, which will spend the weekend on its own. The children from the Bercy school helped us to water and … Read More

This day has arrived! We’ve finished assembling the garden on the roof terrace of the Bercy nursery school.All the structures are in place. All that’s left is for nature to do its work (and us too)!

The tomatoes sown with the children from the Bercy elementary and nursery schools were able to be transplanted into the greenhouse and benefit from the ideal sunshine of the school’s roof terrace. Since they were placed in the tubs, they … Read More

This Wednesday, exceptionally, we only had one pupil from Bercy elementary school, as the children were on a field trip. She was very committed and helped us water, weed and take care of the garden. We’re particularly pleased with the … Read More

The star planter was designed in the same way as the other planters :A watertight tray is filled with clay balls to form a water reserve. Geotextile is laid on top to prevent the soil from mixing with the balls. … Read More

Children from the Bercy nursery school have planted shallot bulbs to start filling the containers around the star in the Traversine Villiot garden.Other vegetables will follow, to create a concentrated vegetable garden in this sunny spot in the heart of … Read More

The Traversine Bercy has been given a new design following its relocation in 2021 due to a problem with seepage on the roof! The mandala has been replaced by a star-shaped planter, surrounded by 4 angled planters placed between each … Read More

To reduce the weight of the planters, dead leaves from the schoolyard were collected and composted over a period of 2 years and placed at the bottom of the planter to create a rich, light substrate before planting the soil. … Read More

A new stage in the construction of the garden at the Traversine Bercy, with the installation of the herb garden. The little gardeners from the Bercy nursery helped to fill the containers, and had the pleasure of transplanting sage, chives, … Read More

It’s assembly time ! Once all the materials have been reassembled on the roof, installation can begin. The Douglas fir boards have been pre-cut to size according to the new garden plans. Once the boards have been screwed in place, … Read More

In anticipation of the Traversine’s return to the school’s roof terrace, seedlings were sown in class with the children from the Bercy nursery school.This gave them a heated space in which to grow. To ensure that they continue to grow, … Read More

Fesile presents the seedlings sown in the greenhouse as the southern winter approaches.The seeds were selected from the organic seed catalogue of agrosemens, a partner of Designing Hope.

This afternoon, children from the Paris Anim centre (CLAJE) came to the Traversine Villiot garden for a potato planting activity. Potatoes are easy for children to plant: all they have to do is put a tuber in the ground, which … Read More

Among the games available to children at the Rufisque school, the vegetable domino game is particularly popular. The children have to find the vegetables corresponding to their coloured board. They then have to sort the vegetables by size on their … Read More

Designing Hope has provided educational games based around vegetables, which are particularly popular with the children at the Rufisque school. Joseph is in charge of these classroom activities, as well as working directly on the school roof to water and … Read More

Several times a week, children from the Handiscole school in Rufisque help to maintain the vegetable garden installed by Designing Hope on the school’s roof terrace. Joseph, the gardener, accompanies the children along with their teachers.

This Wednesday afternoon, the children from the Paris Anim centre (CLAJE) came to the Traversine de Villiot garden for a sowing activity. We provided them with mini greenhouses, composed of a equipped with a water reserve, a seedling tray and … Read More

The children at Bercy primary schools planted tomatoes, okra, cowpeas and kale. They have completed four mini greenhouses, each with two different varieties to diversify the planting. Their mission is not just a one-off one, but a recurring one, as … Read More

This Wednesday, February 14th, the children at Bercy school played a board game that challenges their memory and cooperation: the vegetable colour families game! The game includes 7 vegetable colours, with 6 vegetables per colour, making 42 cards in duplicate. … Read More

Joseph, the gardener at the Rufisque school, harvested an excellent crop of okra this year. Following a training course organized with The Ivory Foundation, he harvested the best fruits, dried them and extracted the seeds. The seeds used were organic … Read More

Chya is a shrub from Mexico that was imported to Africa because of its resistance to drought and its higher nutritional value than most other leafy vegetables such as spinach, Chinese cabbage and amaranth. It is a good source of … Read More

This December, despite the cold, the kindergarten children planted broad bean and pea seeds, which are particularly suited to the winter season.These seeds are ideal for very young children, as they are easy to handle, given their size.After planting the … Read More

Designing Hope has mobilised all the children who benefit from the Villiot garden to transform the potager’s tepee into a Christmas tree. This morning, 8 children from the Villiot crèche contributed to the project by decorating bread apples with red … Read More

Broad beans are one of the few crops that have to be sown in late autumn.Their large seeds are easy for the children to plant, and in a few days they will be able to see the shoots emerge…Another advantage … Read More

This morning, the children from the nursery school arrived with their compost buckets. Enthusiastically, they put the peelings in our dedicated wooden bin. Then they went to pick up some leaves to add to the compost. Using a stick, they … Read More

Children from Handiscole’s inclusive Petits Princes school in Rufisque help Joseph, the gardener, to water the vegetable garden installed on the roof of the school by Dessine l’Espoir. It’s a relaxing moment for the children, who enjoy tending the garden as the … Read More

Watering the garden with the nursery children has become a regular and popular activity. Under the supervision of Tolaklele, a member of the garden team, and Ncobizwe, head of the creche, the children play an active role in maintaining the … Read More

Broad beans are one of the few crops that have to be sown in late autumn. Their large seeds are easy for the children to plant, and in a few days they will be able to see the shoots emerge…Another … Read More

To carry out a test protocol on seeds to ensure that they have retained their germinative germinative properties, you can work on twenty seeds, sown in pots. The seed packets and plates are identified. All the seeds with a good germination rate can then be sown immediately on a … Read More

Children enthusiastically play the games developed by Dessine l’Espoir around vegetables from the kitchen garden. These fun and educational activities enable youngsters to discover the world of vegetables in an interactive and entertaining way. Thanks to these games, they learn … Read More

The youngsters at the Half Way House in Rooseboom were able to try out the new game launched by the association, which completes the transgardens catalogue for educational games in all the gardens run by Dessine l’Espoir and The Ivory … Read More

One of the first objects made during the metal training course organised by Cyrille Varet at Levi’s Nek farm for The Ivory Foundation was a workbench, the starting point for designing all the objects the woman will need…  Other tables will follow, a sideboard … Read More

While the young people on the Levi’s Nek farm may have unequal skills and potential, there is a constant desire on the part of the group for everyone to be involved in the farm’s activities.The strongest prepare the soil, while the weakest … Read More

Gardeners at the Yagma school have set up a nursery using seeds supplied by Agrosemens. The seeds are intended for seed production, according to a protocol developed during regional training organised by The Ivory Foundation with its seed partner Agrosemens in Senegal. The seedlings were … Read More

At the opening ceremony of the farm, we donated the uniforms made by the women of the Garden of Skills in Eswatini to the youths, who were very touched by this gesture, as they had been trained in permaculture by … Read More

The insects By observing insects in nature, one learns a lot about their way of life. Insects known as pests are eaten by other so-called auxiliary insects. Pollinators that forage flowers are essential for the reproduction of many plants and … Read More

The women at the Garden of Skills love strawberries, and strawberries really thrive in Eswatini…The small plot dedicated to this crop has been considerably enlarged, thanks to the collection of runners and their transplanting onto new plots. These strawberries are … Read More

The Malanti greenhouse provides a protected space for seedlings from the nursery, sown in pots, as well as for a selection of vegetables protected from the sun and insects.

The women in charge of the vegetable garden at the Garden of Skills have picked a large harvest to add to the food baskets distributed to hospital patients. Fresh carrots and beetroot will join other vegetables and essentials bought in town for distribution to … Read More

Nomvula, head of cultivation at the Garden of Skills in Malanti, harvests carrots to unthicken her beds, entrusting part of the harvest to a disadvantaged young person from the community of Malanti, who receives regular help from the association with donations of … Read More

The mandala in the Garden of Skills is located at the entrance to the garden, near the kitchen. It includes a sample of the crops grown in the kitchen garden: shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, etc.

The strawberries love the Garden of Skills just as much as the women in the garden love the strawberries…Just the thing… The plants have produced a huge number of runners, which the women have taken care to transplant onto new … Read More

Dessine l’Espoir has developed a collection of educational games about gardening and the environment. To make them easier to handle, the association has asked the women of Eswatini to make the bags, hand-embroidered with the name of the games and … Read More

As part of the seed production project launched in West Africa by The Ivory Foundation in collaboration with Agrosemens, Abdourahmane, the gardener at the Bala seed farm, is currently transplanting courgettes into beds in the seed greenhouse. Courgettes are preferred … Read More

At Bala, Abdourahmane has set up a variety of crops. Two varieties of basil are grown for seed production. One is in flower and will soon be producing seeds. Okra will also be harvested once the fruit has ripened for … Read More

At Bala, gardener Abdourahmane has planted a variety of local crops, including okra, chilli peppers and cassava.

A local vegetable garden is planned to provide a variety of vegetables and herbs for their personal use.Until the garden is up and running, the vegetables have been bought from Levi’s Nek stores….

Twice a week, children from the Villiot nursery help to maintain the garden. After enriching the compost with peelings from their canteen, they help to water the vegetable garden.

One of the outdoor activities devised by Transgarden for children is a balancing game. The children turn two wheels: one indicating natural elements (pebbles, bread apples, branches, etc.) and the other indicating an area of the body (neck, forearm, elbow, … Read More

The Grand Potager at Domaine de Fontenille, which is entirely organically farmed, is an ideal refuge for insects, which enjoy the flowers in the garden and help pollinate them.

The Yagma garden team prepared courgette and maize beds before the onset of the rainy season. Maize requires a lot of water, so this season is ideal for planting and growing it. Its rapid growth will enable it to be … Read More

The women in charge of the Garden of Skills at Malanti in Eswatini are preparing the selection of seeds that they will put into pots in the greenhouse. It’s a painstaking task, so as not to waste this precious resource … Read More

As part of the extra-curricular activities at Bercy school, a colouring workshop was organised on the theme of “lucky charm” flowers by the Dessine l’Espoir association. After creating a model of their project, the children drew it on an A3 … Read More

During their visit to the vegetable garden, the children from the Bercy nursery school split into two groups. While one group looked after the garden, the other played board games created by the association around fruit and vegetables.

Children from the Villiot crèche discover the insect hotel in the traversine garden. The activity leader explains the role of each compartment adapted to a particular type of insect.

This Friday, the children of the elementary school of Bercy planted strawberry plants on the vertical wall of the garden of the Traversine of Bercy. They particularly enjoyed this activity which signs the return of spring!

Sweet potatoes at the Garden of Skills, Malanti, Eswatini The sweet potato is very popular in Eswatini, and is also suitable for sloping ground as it produces abundant creeping foliage. After each harvest, the women take cuttings from the harvested … Read More

Every day, the children of the inclusive school of the Petits Princes in Rufisque, accompanied by their teachers and Joseph,  the person in charge of the garden, take part in the watering and maintenance of the planters.

 Every Wednesday and Friday morning, children from the Villiot collective crèche spend an hour in the Traversine-Villiot garden. The children come with some vegetable waste from the crèche kitchen and put it in our compost, along with dead leaves collected … Read More

During the seed training course organised by The Ivory Foundation and Agrosemence, the women from the Dawady vegetable garden were given advice on maintaining their collective garden: watering, hoeing the plots, treating diseases with natural treatments such as neem oil. … Read More

The Nobadane seed farm is one of three seed production sites operated by Apaf in collaboration with The Ivory Foundation and Agrosemence. It includes a greenhouse and outdoor section where onions are grown for seed production. The greenhouse has been … Read More

The women of the village of Sentiou Maka have harvested bissap leaves from their communal vegetable garden, which they will be cooking to accompany the semolina. This traditional plant is used both as a drink, by decocting the flowers, and … Read More

As part of the seed project involving Agrosemens, APAF and The Ivory Foundation, a new greenhouse has been set up at Sandiara to complete the production system, giving priority to one variety per species at each site, in order to limit … Read More

The Ivory Foundation, in partnership with the French seed company Agrosemensand APAF Senegal to encourage the production of reproducible organic seeds adapted to both climatic conditions and the local market, while developing, with the expertise of Agrosemens, accessible tutorials adapted to … Read More

The agroforestry garden provides daily vegetables used for the preparation of meals in the canteen of the Yagma school. Peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage are cooked in a sauce to accompany starchy foods or mashed beans. A project supported since … Read More

The children of the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE) elementary school of Bercy realized their self-portrait in the style of Arcimboldo. After colouring fruits and vegetables, the children cut and glued them to form their own face.

The children of the nursery school of Bercy and the crèche of Villiot met in the garden of Traversine-Villiot. They composted their vegetable waste (mainly peelings) and visited the garden together. Then, in the kiosk around the clover tables, the … Read More

Today, we asked the children of the Bercy primary schools to draw the vegetable garden of their dreams!  They were able to organise their imaginary garden as they wished, by placing fruits, vegetables, animals, insects, compost, ponds…While waiting for spring..

Every Wednesday and Friday morning, the children of the Villiot collective crèche spend an hour in the Traversine-Villiot garden. The children come with some vegetable waste from the nursery kitchen and put it in our compost. Even though the plants … Read More

With the children of the center Paris Anim’ (CLAJE), we collected the topinamburs (or Jerusalem artichokes) of the garden of Traversine-Villiot. They were each able to leave with a bag of several topinamburs that they had collected themselves. We prepared … Read More

Every day, the women in charge of the vegetable garden harvest fresh vegetables in order to make balanced meals for the women in training at the Garden of Skills. Designing Hope takes advantage of these training moments to promote balanced … Read More

To mark the end of autumn and to brighten up the garden, the children of the elementary schools of Bercy helped the team of Dessine l’Espoir to collect the leaves of the garden of Traversine-Bercy in Paris.  They put them … Read More

The children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE) decorated pine cones for the end-of-the-year celebrations. They glued pompoms and stars on them, wrapped the pine cones with thread on which they threaded beads and painted the ends of the … Read More

The children of the elementary school of Bercy made a card to wish a good Christmas to their close relations. They wrote on it, drew with felt pens, cut out and glued paper and stickers. Above all, after tracing their … Read More

The children of the nursery school of Bercy in Paris were able to discover the various insects in the garden through colouring boards realised by the association.  The children coloured in bees, ladybirds, butterflies, ants, earwigs, woodlice and grasshoppers: all … Read More

In the agroforestry garden of the Yagma school, located on the outskirts of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, the students are involved in the daily maintenance of the vegetable garden.  This garden, set up on a real wasteland with the support … Read More

The children of the elementary school of Bercy in Paris were able to discover the various insects in the garden through colouring boards realised by the association.  The insects were classified according to their role in a garden, namely pollinators, … Read More

With the children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE), the team of Dessine l’Espoir finalised the installation of the insect hotel in the garden of Traversine-Villiot.  We installed pieces of broken bricks for the staphylinid, pine cones for the … Read More

The sweet potato is very popular in Eswatini, and is also suitable for sloping ground as it produces abundant creeping foliage. After each harvest, the women take cuttings from the harvested sweet potato stalks and transplant them to new beds. 

Peppers are particularly popular in Eswatini in the local cuisine.  The harvested fruits are small but very flavourful, and will enhance the meal served daily at the Garden of Knowledge. 

In the vegetable garden of the Garden of Skills, nothing is lost!  When the women thin the carrots to encourage their growth, the young shoots are collected and cooked for the daily meal offered to the women in training.  The … Read More

Designing Hope has recruited a full-time cook for the Garden of Skills. To accompany rice or traditional semolina (pap), Spe cooks a daily sauce using seasonal vegetables from the garden. 

In the greenhouse of Malanti, women have prepared tomato plants which they are now about to plant on prepared beds. 

We organised a painting activity using our stencils representing all kinds of leaves, fruits and vegetables. They were also able to use dried leaves to create various patterns. The children made many colourful paintings to take home!

Deaf and hard-of-hearing youngsters from St Monica’s farm water the keyhole. The Keyhole is a traditional garden from Lesotho. So it was very important that the garden at St Monica’s should also have this high circular vegetable garden. The perimeter … Read More

With the children of the nursery of Villiot, we planted bulbs of tulip all around the kiosk of the garden of the Traversine Villiot. The children put the bulb in each hole and then covered it with soil before watering … Read More

At St Monica’s farm, the youngsters look after the crops, chickens and sheep.

Abdourahman, the head gardener of the Bala garden, is also in charge of three gardens in three outlying villages.  With the support of The Ivory Foundation, stakes and fences have been purchased to delimit market gardening areas operated by about … Read More

With the children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE), the team of Dessine l’Espoir organized a workshop creation of mobiles with natural elements.  On straight tree branches, the children hung woolen threads on which they suspended several vegetal elements: … Read More

The harvest of vegetables realized at the beginning of November in the garden allowed us to organize a meal in the garden of the residence Villiot-Râpée, in the presence of all the actors who interact regularly with the garden. The … Read More

Even in November, it is still time to sow some seeds… and it is what the children of the nursery school of Bercy did!  Hoping that the first sprouts will survive the cold winter, the children sowed yellow turnips, lettuce, … Read More

We made a harvest before the winter of the vegetables of the garden of Traversine-Villiot : leeks, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, spinach, celery, onions, beets, tomatoes.  In order to share our vegetables with the people in the garden, we are organizing … Read More

Within the framework of a day of training organized by Unis-Cité and bearing on the topic of the environment, the young people in Civic service were able to put the hand to the paste and to collect the last green … Read More

We organised an activity with the children from Bercy school to restore the insect hotel. To do this, we prepared small branches and various natural elements to fill the insect hotel.

Every day, the children look after the vegetable garden at Roosboom, helping the women in particular with watering and tending the beds. The cabbages and spinach are harvested to accompany the meals served daily at Half Way House.

To celebrate Halloween, Dessine l’Espoir joined Double Face to allow the children of the residence Villiot Râpée to realize frightening heads of monsters. After a day spent modeling clay under the guidance of Zoé from Double Face, the children painted … Read More

The children of the primary schools of Bercy helped us to transplant in the playground’s garden the spinach which proliferated in the Garden of the Traversine-Villiot.  After digging holes in the enriched soil trays, the children planted the spinach plants … Read More

In October, it is still time to sow parsley, it is what we made with the children of the primary schools of Bercy.  In the school’s containers, which had been prepared with fertile soil, the children delicately sowed parsley seeds. The … Read More

On the roof terrace of the inclusive school of the Petits Princes in Rufisque, the garden developed by Designing Hope welcomes the children every week for a moment of active recreation, dedicated to the maintenance of the garden.Watering is essential … Read More

In the garden of the Traversine Villiot, our cauliflower, after having formed a compact vegetable, continued its growth. To the astonishment of the children, it has grown new stems. This is what we call the process of going to seed … Read More

This Wednesday afternoon, the team of Designing Hope organized 2 creative animations in the garden of the Traversine Villiot, one with the children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE) and the other with the children of the primary schools … Read More

The seedlings prepared by Abdourhamane, the head gardener of the Bala garden, are a success! The shoots of the different varieties of tomatoes and aubergines have emerged from the plates with a very satisfactory germination rate. As part of the … Read More

It is autumn, it is time to enrich and to refill the tubs of the mandala and the Keyhole of the garden of the Traversine Bercy in order to prepare the tubs to welcome new cultures. The bins have been … Read More

On Saturday, September 24th, 2022, we took part in the Festival of the Residence Villiot. We welcomed children and adults of the Residence Villiot in the shared garden of the residence. The children were able to enjoy the board games … Read More

Set up in 2021 with the children and young people of the St Paul’s School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Leribe, Lesotho, the Palesa garden (Palesa means flower in Sotho, the language of Lesotho) is providing a … Read More

The Ivory Foundation has developed a reproductive seed production project in Senegal with the organic seed company Agrosemens. The Bala medical centre in eastern Senegal, near Tambacounda, is one of the pilot sites associated with this initiative. Abdourhamane, head of … Read More

A large 10-cubic-meter tank has been installed in the garden, fed by water from a nearby river. While waiting for the installation of a drip irrigation system, the women take care of watering the plots every morning, especially during the … Read More

For its first summer, the garden of the Traversine Villiot is blooming and gave many vegetables. Potatoes, leeks, cauliflower, spinach, celery, Jerusalem artichokes, squash, beets, cucumbers and different varieties of tomatoes are growing and ripening in this garden in the … Read More

The Malanti garden was built on the principle of permaculture with 80 cm wide plots on which the women grow vegetables in association in fairly dense plots. Densifying the crops allows them to limit water consumption. To prepare and maintain … Read More

When preparing the beds with the “Campagnole”, the soil is enriched by sprinkling a mixture of biochar and compost on the surface. The Campagnole will then mix this input deep into the cultivated plots. Biochar is a natural fertilizer produced … Read More

The vegetable garden at St. Monica’s Farm was built on the principle of permaculture, with 80 cm wide raised beds on which the young deaf and hard-of-hearing gardeners grow vegetables quite densely, combining varieties that are compatible in terms of … Read More

Like every day of the week, the children enjoyed a healthy and balanced meal at the HalfWay House. The meal consists of rice and a sauce prepared with vegetables from the garden. This nutritional support benefits about 50 underprivileged children … Read More

In order to optimise the surface area of the garden on the roof terrace of the Rufisque school, three models of growing trays structures have been designed:– The first, produced in 10 copies, allows cultivation on 4 levels thanks to … Read More

The women use natural fertilizers such as compost, manure and biochar produced locally with the support of The Ivory Foundation to enrich the crop beds in the Garden of Skills. Grass, previously cut on the ground and then dried, is … Read More

Today, the women of the Garden of Skills planted peppers, beets, lettuce and spinach on the beds of the “Teenji” (Teen G for youth garden), the garden in front of the workshop, half of which is used for educational activities … Read More

The women of the Garden of Skills harvested Jugo Beans which they then prepared with a traditional recipe. Jugo beans are beans grown in Eswatini and have a taste similar to peanuts. Once cooked in water they are ready to … Read More

To add value to vegetable production from the Garden of Skills, Tolaguele cooked the harvested sweet potatoes. As part of the nutrition training that will be offered at the garden, recipes using little salt and only natural spices will be … Read More

The women in charge of the maintenance of the Garden of Skills have begun harvesting the sweet potatoes planted a few months earlier on one of the first plots of land set up on the new Malanti site.

New structures have just arrived on the terrace, and will make it possible to increase the surface area cultivated on the roof terrace of the inclusive school of the Petits Princes in Rufisque. The children came to discover these new … Read More

The metalworker has finished making all the structures for the roof terrace garden at the school in Rufisque. The children, enthusiastic, participated in the installation of the plastic containers, which, once filled with soil and compost, will soon welcome new … Read More

After having followed the training in agroecological techniques at the Yagma garden, the women started their own vegetable garden, either in the open ground or above ground, depending on the size of their plot. One and a half months later, … Read More

Transjardins has developed a memory game associating a card of an element (vegetables, fruits or garden tools) with a card representing its gesture in sign language. Other cards combine the two (elements and signs) in order to facilitate learning for … Read More

The animators of the garden of Yagma visited various schools in the surroundings in order to promulgate the educational project of the garden. As in the Villiot garden in Paris or the Garden of Skills in Malanti, one of the … Read More

Six young people maintain the Palesa Garden, the circular vegetable garden created for the children of the St Paul’s School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The garden is divided into four sections, each of which is available to … Read More

The photographs of the St Paul’s school for the deaf and hard of hearing children carried out last year in the middle of the Leribe vegetation within the framework of the project “Nature en Ville”, were reproduced in a memory … Read More

A system of interlocking trays developed by Designing Hope was entrusted to the women of Malanti to optimize their plant production. This durable and resistant system avoids the use of disposable cups, which are difficult to find locally.

The children of the youth center of Villiot (Claje – Paris Anim) decorated wooden frames in the Villiot garden. First, they painted the outline of the frame in the colours of their choice. They then ventured into the garden to … Read More

The children from the nursery were introduced to gardening at the Villiot garden by planting onion and oca bulbs on the earth beds that form the mandala. In the holes dug with their little shovels, they put potting soil to … Read More

For the women who have a large enough plot of land to start production in the open ground, the fourth day of training was devoted to the creation of growing beds. 19 women attended this session. Using the Yagma garden … Read More

During the visit of the Grand Potager of the Domaine de Fontenille, the Lauris preschool children were separated into four groups. Each tribe was associated with a guardian of the elements: Fuoc, guardian of fire; Aura, guardian of air; Terrà, … Read More

The children of Lauris nursery school discovered a revisited game of 7 families designed by Transjardins at the Grand Potager of the Domaine de Fontenille. The children were each given a game board corresponding to a fruit/vegetable family colour (orange, … Read More

The Lauris preschool children came to visit the Grand Potager of the Domaine de Fontenille. All day long, they were able to discover the different parts of the garden by participating in playful activities (sowing, composting, egg hunt, memory, colouring). … Read More

The Lauris preschool children enjoyed a calm time to realize colourings in the Grand Potager of the Domaine de Fontenille. Sitting around the mandala, they coloured their own version of the beds forming a flower. After the visit to the … Read More

In the bioclimatic greenhouse of the Grand Potager (Domaine de Fontenille), the Lauris preschool children realized seedlings. They filled their little cardboard pot with potting soil, then packed the soil. When the soil is almost at the top of the … Read More

On a table installed near the aromatics spiral of the Grand Potager (Domaine de Fontenille), the Lauris preschool children played aromatic memory. In each little pot is an aromatic herb (lemon balm, thyme, rosemary, chives, sage). The children win when … Read More

The Lauris preschool children discovered the principle of the compost in the Grand Potager of the Domaine de Fontenille. The children took turns cutting fruit and vegetable peelings into small pieces and throwing them into the compost. This activity allows … Read More

11 leaves and flowers, chosen to be easily identifiable and recognisable, were taken from the vegetable garden, around the aromatic garden. They were placed on a board and presented to the children of the Lauris kindergarten, who then set off … Read More

With the Easter holidays approaching, the Bercy primary school children decorated small clay pots in the shape of rabbits. They painted the pots in the colours of their choice. Then they formed the ears of the rabbit by cutting out … Read More

Thanks to the maintenance of the Yagma garden by the gardener and the young volunteers, the production of crops is regular and allows a rotation of the cultivated species. Indeed, the tomato, the local aubergine and the cabbage have come … Read More

A volunteer from the association “La Fresque du Climat” came to present a game with the children of the Bercy school. This game allows the pupils to become aware of climate change through a playful activity. The aim is simple: … Read More

Happy Grandmothers’ Day ! Before leaving on holiday, the children of the Bercy school made candles to offer to their grandmothers. They painted small glass jars and decorated them with stickers, green or dead leaves collected in the school yard … Read More

During the vacations, the children of the youth center of Villiot (Claje – Paris Anim) have decorated small clay pots and wooden signs. After painting a first layer with the colors of their choice, they then added colorful patterns and … Read More

In order to facilitate the maintenance of the garden and to limit to the maximum the return of the weeds, we applied the technique of the vegetable ground cover to the garden of Villiot. Along the path surrounding the circular … Read More

Pupils from Bercy primary school made bird feeders from oranges, fruit juice cartons, and egg boxes. For the juice bricks: cut a rectangle on one side of the juice brick and place a small branch underneath so that the birds … Read More

The children from the leisure centre in Villiot made Christmas decorations with bamboo branches, raffia, cords and the association’s “Porte-Bonheurs” flowers. The leafy parts of the branches were used to make wreaths, while the hard parts were used to create … Read More

The team of Designing Hope finalized the insect hotel at Traversine Villiot’s garden with the youngsters of the association Jeunesse Feu-Vert. First of all, a wire mesh was stapled to the back of the structure to prevent the various components … Read More

At the health center of Bala, it is the preparation of the trays with the seeds of the partner of the project, Agrosemens: Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and lettuce. After only 3 days, the first shoots of the different varieties of … Read More

To prepare for spring, spinach seeds and young shoots from the bioclimatic greenhouse of the Grand Potager of @domainedefontenille were sown and transplanted onto a cultivation bed previously weeded and prepared using the campagnole. In order to stagger the harvests, seedlings … Read More

The Traversine garden will soon host a mini set-in-nature theatre ! First step: cutting out and colouring the paper templates that will bring to life all the stories that the children made up. Fairies, boares, feathers, pumpkin houses, she-warriors… that … Read More

Last week, children from the Bercy school gathered at the Traversine Villiot to proudly hold up the letters of the word “Diversity” topped with flowers, replicas of the “Porte-Bonheurs” (Lucky charms) designed by Thebe Magugu, that they decorated by themselves. 

In the context of the “Porte-Bonheurs” exhibition at the Bon Marché, Designing Hope wanted to involve the children of the African schools where it is implanted as well as those of the Bercy school, by entrusting them with a project … Read More

The Ivory Foundation has made available a clod press at the Bala center that is used to make compact blocks of soil for seedlings that require larger cups. With seeds from the seed project’s partner, Agrosemens, Abdourahmane and Aurélien, on … Read More

At the Grand Potager on the Domain of Fontenille, we tried out a raised mound technique, connected by a teepee giving inclined support to climbing beans and marrows, thanks to a weaving which was handmade with ropes. This green cover … Read More

The exploration of the Grand Potager is not only one to see and to smell. The children were able to taste a couple of fruits and edible flowers, especially marigold and nasturtium. For those who feel unsure about the flowers, … Read More

By partnering with APAF, an association for the promotion of fertilizer trees, The Ivory Foundation wishes to use the benefits of agroforestry in the seed production process. Several species of trees have been planted in the nursery: Mellifera, Leucaena, Gliricidia, … Read More

During a day at the Grand Potager, nursery classes from the Lauris school had the opportunity to be involved in a flower hunt. Near the bioclimatic green house and the aromatics spiral, a lot of flowers are present. The exercise … Read More

In front of the Grand Potager’s compost, the students from Lauris’ nursery school learned how to sort their waste. Plastic ? In the recycling bin ! Leftover chicken ? In the garbage can ! Vegetable peel ? In the compost … Read More

During the Mayor of the 12th arrondissement’s of Paris visit to the Traversine garden, we displayed the pedagogical tools which were conceptualized by Dessine l’Espoir, such as the nutrition games. The children of the Bercy school had the opportunity to … Read More

At the Bala health center, trays are being prepared with seeds from the project’s partner, Agrosemens: tomatoes, eggplants, chili peppers, bell peppers and lettuce. The trays were purchased in the region of Mbour, in Sandiara, because they are not available … Read More

During their visit to the Grand Potager, the students of the Lauris school paid a visit to observe the pond which is located next to the henhouse, so as to learn many things about the biodiversity that can be found … Read More

The Bercy nursery school students took part in an unusual painting activity. After drawing branches on paper sheets, they got to decorate them with multicolored fruits, by using lemons, bell peppers, zucchinis, onions, celery and artichoke leaves as stamps to … Read More

The bees living in the Grand Potager are enjoying the spring and taking great delight in the colourful flowers’ pollen. These essential insects greatly participate in the pollination of the garden’s flowers.

Track game at the Grand Potager series 5/5 Last step of the discovery day at the Grand Potager. This open-air theatre is a mere frame made of wooden tubes which is fastened between two small trees. Inspired by puppet theatre, … Read More

Track game at the Grand Potager series 4/5 Another step in the discovery day at the Grand Potager. Balance, patience and focus, all of these were required for the children to succeed in the balancing game’s journey. The game consists … Read More

Track game at the Grand Potager series 3/5 Third step of the discovery day at the Grand Potager: land art ! This artform consists in using materials from nature for esthetics purposes. The children had the opportunity to create their … Read More

Track game series at the Grand Potager 2 / 5 Back to the rest of the discovery day at the Grand Potager. The children focused on drawing reproductions of different elements of the garden, like the keyhole, the mandala, or … Read More

Track game series at the Grand Potager 1 / 5 At the Grand Potager of Fontenille, 20 children of the Lauris summer camp came to discover the garden’s track game. During an afternoon, the children had a walk through the … Read More

The children of the Bercy schools have taken part in a treasure hunt in the Traversine garden. During the journey, they discovered different parts of the garden: the mandala, the pergola’s herbs, the insect houses and even the vegetal teepee. … Read More

Did you know that it takes 27 plastic bottles to make one recycled sweater? It’s worth sorting your waste to recycle it, right? The activity leaders of the Traversine garden have prepared an activity on selective sorting for the kindergarten … Read More

At the Fontenille domain, the garden is a shelter for many insects: on his own, the garden attracts a huge number of auxiliary insects. Today, as the fist flowers arrived, the children observed bees foraging the garden’s flowers.

Developed in 2018 by Designing Hope, the Biodiversity Game introduces children to current environmental issues in a playful way. Up till now uniquely developed in its prototype version for the Bercy school, the game is being developed in a small … Read More

One of the Traversine garden’s itinerary steps consists in inviting the children to create vegetal portraits.  Glass frames are at their disposal, on which they draw, by transparency, vegetal decorations on their friends’ faces. These artworks are inspired by artist … Read More

Every wednesday at the Grand Potager in Fontenille children are offered a creative workshop. This week an insect house making workshop took place, which was an opportunity to children and their parents around a do-it-yourself activity under the sun ! … Read More

The construction of little cabins has just started. These cabins are the result of a local and sustainable economy: they have been made using wood from local forest production and have been assembled by a company located near the center. … Read More

The development of the Malanti field is ongoing and the plantations begin with sweet potatoes! This species is particularly well adapted to the landscape of small mountains and hills with rocks in Eswatini, as well as its tropical climate. The … Read More

In this video, Emile shows us an example of a beneficial crop combination in the Grand Potager de Fontenille, in the Luberon. Here, the cultivation mound is composed of white onions associated with savoy cabbage. This combination of alliums and … Read More

Temperatures are slowly rising in the South and it’s time to plant! Indeed, as the heat will be higher in the greenhouse, it will be an ideal setting to germinate young shoots. So, seedling lines have been drawn in a … Read More

Little demonstration of sowing at the Grand Potager of Fontenille, in the Luberon. On prepared ridges of 80cm wide, Mael , the head of cultivation in the vegetable garden, uses the single-row precision seed drill for a new row of … Read More

The animation team of the Grand Potager organised this Wednesday afternoon a cutting workshop activity in the garden. The mild temperatures of the last few days and the coming arrival of spring mean that it is currently a good time … Read More

After having made the bird boxes that will soon be scattered around the Great Vegetable Garden, the children set about decorating them. To do this, they used materials found in nature such as dead leaves, small branches, moss and flowers. … Read More

Dawady’s farm school, located 60km from Tambacounda in Eastern Senegal, has really taken off! This project started in 2018 with the local expertise of Am Be Khoun and the financial support of The Ivory foundation, in association with ULB cooperation, … Read More

The 6 young deaf and hard of hearing people manage the Saint Monica Educational Farm in Leribe, Lesotho, funded by The Ivory Foundation in 2019. Within a year they have structured a wasteland into a fertile and productive plot of … Read More

This week at the Traversine, the treasure hunt was happily inaugurated by the children. For about 1 hour, they  were able to discover the garden and its components (mandala, keyhole, wall, pergola of herbs etc. …) through a fun and … Read More

La Traversine is full of inspiring natural elements for craft activities! The children went there to collect leaves and sticks of different shapes and colors. Our little artists then assembled and glued them together to create people and animals. It … Read More

In the garden, winter has arrived with its first frosts. Our mandala was not spared, the sweet potatoes died out on a weekend, and the chilies that kept them company did not survive either… What to do with all the … Read More