Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A school-based environmental event marking the conclusion of the nationwide “Grow Your Garden” contest was held at Secondary School No. 3 in Jizzakh. The contest was organised for the first time in Uzbek schools under the “Routes to Health” educational programme and brought together more than 400 participants from different regions of the country.
The contest was organised by Nestlé in partnership with the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change and the Republican Education Centre. The main event was a tree-planting activity on the school grounds involving pupils, teachers, parents and partners.
The competition aimed to promote environmental awareness among schoolchildren and encourage responsible attitudes towards nature. Pupils worked with their teachers to create environmental posters showing how children and adults can protect the environment, then uploaded their entries to the programme’s website. Winners were selected by a jury and through audience voting.
“Environmental education for children is an important part of building a responsible society and preserving the country’s natural resources.
“It is no coincidence that Uzbekistan is paying increasing attention to this issue. It is important not only to explain to the younger generation why nature needs to be protected, but also to create opportunities for children to take part in environmental initiatives themselves and see the results of their actions.
“Projects such as ‘Grow Your Garden’ help develop environmental awareness from an early age and show that caring for the environment begins with concrete actions by each individual,” said Lola Rakhmanbayeva, press secretary and adviser to the Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change on information policy.
The “Routes to Health” educational programme is implemented in Uzbekistan as part of Nestlé’s global Nestlé for Healthier Kids initiative. It helps schoolchildren develop healthy habits, learn about balanced nutrition and adopt responsible attitudes towards the environment. The “Grow Your Garden” contest served as a practical extension of this work, allowing pupils to apply the knowledge they had gained.
School No. 3’s Class 3A in Jizzakh took first place, followed by Class 3B from the same school. Class 3A of School No. 19 in Jizzakh came third. Other participants were also recognised, including the winner of the Audience Choice Award, selected through public voting. The winners received certificates, commemorative gifts and saplings to plant on their school grounds.
“For Nestlé, caring for children’s health means taking a comprehensive approach to developing healthy habits from an early age.
“This approach brings together knowledge of balanced nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and responsible attitudes towards the environment.
“These principles underpin the ‘Routes to Health’ programme. Through competitions such as ‘Grow Your Garden’, we aim to make learning engaging for schoolchildren and support teachers in their work.
“We particularly value the involvement of parents. Together with schools, we can make caring for health and nature a shared family priority,” said Sergey Lysyuk, General Director of Nestlé in Uzbekistan.
Following the awards ceremony, pupils, teachers, parents and guests planted 100 trees on the grounds of School No. 3. The activity gave children an opportunity to take part directly in greening the place where they study and spend their time.
The Jizzakh event demonstrated cooperation between government organisations, schools and businesses in promoting environmental education among children.
Joint efforts help create an educational environment in which caring for health and nature becomes part of everyday school life. Participants also discussed the importance of environmental education for children and opportunities for further cooperation on similar initiatives in Uzbekistan.
