Pumpkins against poverty

Guess where? This project is set in a great country… can you guess where? Flag Capital city of Dhaka ‘asalaam alaykum’ (hello) in Bangla. ‘Cricket is our no 1 sport in the country’.

Were you right? The answer is Bangladesh…a country that borders with India and whose people have many great stories to share with you.

Jui ‘Hi, my name is Jui. ‘I am six and live with my mum, dad and brother in Rangpur district in Bangladesh. I hope you enjoy learning about our country and our lives’.

Explore Bangladesh

What do you see?

Monsoon in Bangladesh The photographs you looked at show people and places in Rangpur district affected by river flooding. Each year the heavy rain that falls during the ‘monsoon’ season from April to October, causes damage to crops, farms and homes. Question: What do you think are the main problems for people when the floods arrive?

Food shortage One of the biggest problems for people is the lack of food throughout the year, as crops and land are affected by the floods. A nutrition officer working in Rangpur reported: ‘Many people including children only have one or two meals a day. People in the region suffer from malnutrition and night blindness, caused by a lack of Vitamin A’.

When the land turns to sand At the end of the monsoon season, the heavy rains stop and the river levels eventually return to normal. The land that was flooded is now covered in a fine layer of sandy silt. This is known as a ‘sandbar’. Until recently, people thought that the sandbars were not suitable to grow crops on…but look what’s happened!

Science for survival The charity Practical Action helped Jui’s community to find out whether any crops could grow on the sandbars. They started off by experimenting with courgettes, tomatoes, gourds and pumpkins. ‘We needed to find a crop that we could grow and harvest in sandy soil between November and April’. Question: Why was it important to find crops that could grow and be harvested between November and April?

Science helps It was really important for Jui’s parents to learn about the lifecycle of the plants they were growing. Here’s what they found out about the lifecycle of a pumpkin. Seed Vine Seedling Flower Fruit Question: Why was it helpful for people to know about the lifecycle of a pumpkin?

Pumpkin Lifecycle Who can remember what the first stage of growing a pumpkin is? Experiment Your task is to work in a team and design experiments to work out what is needed to make pumpkin seeds germinate into healthy seedlings. Remember – in all experiments you need to make sure you have a fair test.

Perfect pumpkins After experimenting with a range of plants, PUMPKINS were the biggest success. And now, families such as Jui’s have dug thousands of holes into the sandbars to grow pumpkins! Each hole is about a metre across, then filled with compost. Four to five seed are planted in each hole and hey presto… after five months of watering and care the pumpkins are ready for harvest!

Making a difference It’s hard to imagine that growing pumpkins can make such a big difference to people’s lives. This year Jui’s family grew 600 pumpkins. They have sold 450 and because pumpkins store well for up to a year, they still have 100 left to feed themselves! Question: What do you think are the benefits to Jui and her family from growing and selling pumpkins?

The difference is huge! ‘From one small pumpkin, I can make two meals for our family all year round.’ ‘I help my mum take the seeds from the pumpkins, so we can grow them again next year.’ ‘From selling pumpkins we’ve been able to afford a tutor for our children and to replace the roof on our home!’ ‘My children are much healthier now, before they used to suffer with fever and sickness.’ ‘The Vitamin A in pumpkins has cured night blindness in our village.’

Delicious Pumpkins Jui’s mum Afroza makes delicious snacks from pumpkins. Your teacher will share Jui’s favourite pumpkin recipe with you…why not give it a try? You could also have a go at developing your own snack using pumpkins. When you’re happy with the recipe, why not write it up and send it to us? We’ll share your ideas with pumpkin growers in Bangladesh.

Seeds for the future Many pumpkin growers like Shanhana preserve the seeds from their pumpkins, so they have ‘free seeds’ to plant for the next year’s growing season. ‘ I put my pumpkin seeds in a basket to dry in the sun. When they are dry I share them with my family and neighbours’. Can you spot the great pumpkin cutter that Shanhana uses to cut her pumpkins in half?

Drying pumpkin seeds Drying pumpkin seeds is easy! Why not have a go yourself? Carefully cut the pumpkin in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds Remove the fleshy parts of the pumpkin that is attached to the seeds Place the seeds in a sieve and rinse them with cool water Put the seeds onto a paper towel to dry them, then place them on a baking tray or basket and all them to dry for at least a month Design and make your own seed packet to keep the seeds safe until the next growing season. Don’t forget to share them like Shanhana with your friends and family. Now why not design a seed packet to keep them in?

PUMPKINS AGAINST POVERTY So far you’ve learnt about the difference that growing and selling pumpkins is making to Jui and her family. Would you like to help other families like Jui’s in your school? If so, then have a look at our great fundraising ideas, including decorating pumpkins and pumpkin selfies! practicalaction.org/fundraise.practicalaction.org/fundraise And what’s more, from NOW until the 31st December 2015 UKAID are supporting PUMPKINS AGAINST POVERTY by matching your school's donation. So, for every pound you raise, UKAID will double it, meaning more families can feed themselves after the monsoon.

What’s next? If you’ve enjoyed your project, then why not have a go at some of our other activities. They include the: Plastics Challenge – to design and make a product reusing plastic waste Beat the Flood Challenge – to make a model of a home that is flood-proof Floating Garden Challenge – to make a model of a garden that floats. practicalaction.org/stem