Medicinal garden meets recommendations made by World Health Organization

(MissionNewswire) Salesian students from the nursing, speech therapy, and kinesiology programs of the faculty of health sciences at the Silva Henríquez Catholic University in Chile recently raised funds by selling natural remedies made with medicinal herbs grown in the university’s gardens. The gardens, in operation for more than a year, are providing medicinal herbs for the production of natural products.

The students attended training at the Seed Bank of the National Institute of Agricultural Research where they learned about conserving biodiversity and the urgency of environmental protection. The Seed Bank donated endangered native species to the university, which will have a significant space on the Lo Cañas Campus.

The campus features the garden called Weliwen (meaning new dawn in the Mapudungun language). Plants are cultivated and harvested during the semester by the students. The living classroom is educating students about the importance of herbal medicine and how to conserve the land.

Faculty of health services noted that the creation of a medicinal garden meets recommendations made by the World Health Organization (WHO) with regard to health and well-being, quality education, sustainable cities and communities, and the protection of terrestrial ecosystems.

The WHO noted that health goes beyond the traditional health care system and includes seeking to prevent disease and strengthen the well-being of the community. A medicinal garden at the school is a practical approach to empowering students and families to take care of their health through natural resources and ancestral methods.

Students were also able to pay forward what they have learned. They joined together to work with children from the Ieruba Kindergarten in Pampa de San Isidro. The students engaged with the children through play and ecological education, focusing on the benefits of herbal medicine.

Salesian missionaries provide education and social development programs for poor youth in Chile. Once finished with primary and secondary school, students can advance for higher education. Salesian technical schools cater to students who have dropped out of school and are seeking a second chance. In many programs, students complete their education while engaging in internships with local employers. This increases the students’ hands-on work experience and ability to gain livable wage employment after their studies are completed.

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Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Green Alliance

Don Bosco Green Alliance – Where Care Flourishes: A Pedagogical Journey “Roots and Rebirth”

Salesian Missions – Chile

World Bank – Chile