How do you teach children about the importance of the environment? We take the approach of teaching by doing. The Goenka Girls School in Akola was surrounded by a dusty space, inhospitable, uninviting to the girls. VHF invited the school teachers and students to design a garden to cover the space and then paid for it to come to reality.

During the visit of VHF's Eva and Yogi Agrawal in Jaunary 2007, a beautiful space had been created under the project management of English teacher Mr. Sanglodkar. Mrs. Sadhana Goenka, who contributed to the design, stands proudly in the garden. The visitors were deluged with flowers from the garden in a show of welcoming warmth.

VHF continues to fund similar transformations at other schools and communities. Schools interested in receiving support should submit proposals. For guidelines, click here. 

Among other projects that are ongoing, are:

• seeding the beginnings of the Akola Arboretum at Akola Agricutural University, and;
• working with City and District officials on a campagin to"Clean-up Akola' . The effort was initiated  in 2005.