The Zakat Foundation of America

In early 2009 Zakat Foundation partnered with PAL (Permacultura America Latina) to support the Projecto Anchieta sustainable school project in Bairro Grajau, a poor slum in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, that is plagued by violence and drugs.

A sustainable school is one where the school gradually assumes responsibility for the production of its own food requirements, and students take part in the food production, including water harvesting and soil rehabilitation, while learning lessons about healthy eating.

The goal of Zakat Foundation’s involvement with the sustainable school project is to provide food security for 500 poor children and adolescents from the Barirro Grajau slum and improve their overall nutritional health while creating a prototype for sustainability in urban schools. The project aims for a self sufficient food production model that can be emulated city wide, serving as a teaching tool for students and community, and developing entrepreneurial possibilities for community members.