1. Pumpkins against poverty

2. Guess where? This project is set in a great country…see if you can guess where it is. Flag Capital city of Dhaka Asalaam alaykum (hello) in Bengali. Cricket is our no 1 sport in the country.

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

4. Jui and Afroza Hi, my name is Jui. I’m 6 and live with my mum, dad and brother in Rangpur district in Bangladesh. I hope you enjoy learning about our country and our lives.

5. Explore Bangladesh Insert the Explore Bangladesh Student sheet…so that teachers can write on board over it.

6. What do you see? You’ve been given some photographs from the Rangpur region in Bangladesh. Activity In pairs or small groups, look at each photo carefully and think; What can I see? What do I think is happening and why? What questions do you have?

7. Monsoon in Bangladesh The photographs you have looked at show people and places in Rangpur district that are 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?

8. Food shortage… One of the biggest problems is how people feed themselves and their families when their crops and land are destroyed by flooding. Amena, a nutrition officer who works in Rangpur said; ‘Many people including children only have one or two meals a day. Many people in the region suffer malnutrition and from night blindness, caused by a lack of Vitamin A’.

9. Some solutions…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 also known as a ‘sandbar’. Until recently, people thought that the sandbars were not suitable to grow crops on…but look what’s happened!

10. Science for survival To help people such as Jui’s parents whose land and crops are badly affected by flooding, an organisation called Practical Action helped men and women to find out whether any crops could grow on the sandbars. They started off by experimenting with courgettes, tomatoes, gourds and pumpkins seeds. Questions  Why was it important to find crops that can grow and be harvested between November and April?. ‘We needed to find a crop that we could grow and harvest in sandy soil between November and April.’

11. Science helps… It was really important for people like 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. Seedling Fruit Flower Vine  Why do you think it was helpful to people like Jui’s parents to know about the lifecycle of a pumpkin? Seed

12. Pumpkin Lifecycle Who can remember what the first stage of growing a pumpkin is? (pic Seed to Seedling) 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.

13. Perfect pumpkins… After experimenting with a range of plants, PUMPKINS were the biggest success. And now, families such as Jui’s have dug thousands and 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!

14. 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?

15. 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.’

16. 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 with a photo of you making it and we’ll share it with pumpkin growers in Bangladesh.

17. 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. Can you spot the great pumpkin cutter that Shanhana uses to cut her pumpkins in half? ‘ 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’.

18. 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?

19. Pumpkins against poverty… So far you’ve learnt about the difference that growing and selling pumpkins is making to the lives of people like Jui and her family in Rangpur district. Now, Practical Action are hoping to help families living in other parts of Bangladesh whose lives are badly affected by flooding. This new project is called ‘PUMPKINS AGAINST POVERTY’. If you’d like to find out more about how you and your school can help improve the lives of people by growing pumpkins, then ask your teacher how or have a look for ideas online: practicalaction.org/schools-pumpkins-against-poverty-fundraising.

20. Thank you… For spending the time learning about how growing pumpkins in Bangladesh is making a big difference to the lives of people affected by flooding. If you’ve enjoyed your project, then why not have a go at some of our other projects in Bangladesh or other countries where Practical Action works. 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