The metaphor of Care-Rainbow orchard |10 August 2013

Recently the parents of students who are enrolled in Care-Rainbow project at Mont Fleuri primary school together with their children, teachers from the Rainbow committee and some youth from Mont

Fleuri district youth group joined hands to clean and refurbish the already existed orchard codenamed “The Rainbow Orchard”.  

The Care-Rainbow project is a prevention programme initiated by Care (Committee for Awareness, Resilience and Education against substance abuse), which seek to help children develop prerequisites capacities towards healthy living such as solid self-identity, healthy self-esteem, positive character building and resilience skills that was launched three years ago whereby Mont Fleuri primary school was one of the first schools.

The concept of Rainbow orchard was initiated not only as the pragmatic means to enhance and promote living skills but more so as a metaphor to show that children need nurturing, food, care and constant protection for them to grow healthily and bear good fruit just like the fruit plants.  The orchard is also used as a teaching tool for resilience and tolerance because the plants in this orchard need to be resilient enough to face the harsh seasons, thrive for growth and pass through all necessary stages before bearing fruit.

One of the fundamental essentials that the plant needs though is a caregiver! Just like farmers or gardeners who are always there  to make sure that the plants get all the basic needs like water, fertile soil and enough light, symbolically this orchard is a reminder that parents and teachers need to be available to nurture children with love, compassion, care, protection and other basic needs for them to grow positively and healthily.

Apart from cleaning, mulching and planting new fruit saplings like orange, pomegranate, raspberry, mango, papaya and other annona fruits, work to create a visual mural for human values and prevention against substance abuse was also initiated.

The accompanying photographs show pupils, parents and teachers busy planting new fruit saplings in the orchard.