Bucharest, May 2025
“The Orchard School – Working with Nature!” project is an educational and hands-on initiative dedicated to healthy, affordable food that fosters social connections. Funded since 2022 by the Auchan Foundation, it is implemented by the Mărțișor Community Orchard team in partnership with the AMURTEL Romania social garden and the National Museum of Romanian Literature.
The project was relaunched with new funding of €50,000 in June 2024, running over a 12-month period until May 2025. It included hands-on educational activities, especially through a competition launched for schools in Bucharest, Ilfov, and Buzău. As a result, three communities of children and adults, totaling over 3,800 beneficiaries, were awarded this spring with educational sessions to train 150 eco-leaders (students and coordinating teachers), the planting of three nourishing gardens and the creation of three composting points for soil regeneration in school gardens, at the following institutions:
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Nikola Tesla Technological High School – Bucharest
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Gymnasium School No. 1 – Tunari, Ilfov
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Gymnasium School No. 11 – Buzău
The project also continued to serve as a bridge between urban and rural communities by supporting:
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The Mărțișor Community Orchard, located on the grounds of the Mărțișor Memorial House Museum in Bucharest, administered by project partner the National Museum of Romanian Literature.
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The community in Buzău, formed around the ZoriZa social vegetable garden in Poieni, which annually provides over 2,000 kilograms of naturally grown vegetables to the 12 children living in the permanent residential center Familia AMURTEL.
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Other vulnerable individuals who occasionally benefit from surplus vegetables, such as: beneficiaries of the Ateliere Protejate Association in Bucharest, a single-parent family, people with chronic health conditions or limited access to education, as well as a few former residents of the Izvorul Speranței center in Bucharest.
The project also combines practical community activities for the regenerative maintenance of the orchard and garden, educational programs, and personal transformation experiences, aimed at fostering a harmonious individual lifestyle within sustainable and resilient communities. The funding covers two jobs for the social garden, collaboration with a new local assistant, volunteers, and various suppliers, all contributing to the sustainable and positively impactful implementation of the project.
The two communities, as well as the general public, benefit from new educational materials through the launch of a video series covering the following topics:
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the difference between food and nourishment
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healthy, plant-based nutrition
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fresh versus processed foods
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short and circular supply chains — from garden to home
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how to avoid food waste and reduce waste overall
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caring for the soil through regenerative agriculture
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the ecological footprint of our food
We thank all the volunteers and partners who support the 2024–2025 project: the National Museum of Romanian Literature for offering space at the Tudor Arghezi Memorial House for the Mărțișor Community Orchard, AMURTEL Romania and the social garden in Poieni, the Auchan Foundation, and Auchan Retail Romania.
Details about the “The Orchard School – Working with Nature!” project: