What does it mean to "work"? Let's give children more experiences.

We held a bus tour to experience vegetable harvesting for children living at "Kamakura Children's Home" in Kanagawa Prefecture.

This activity is part of the efforts of Zensho Kagayaki Children's Foundation, a general incorporated foundation that provides support for higher education and various experiential programs for children living under social care.
One of our experiential learning programs, the vegetable harvesting bus tour, aims to give children an opportunity to think about their future careers and lives through various experiences and interactions with employee volunteers from Zensho Group.

This time, 15 children from the children's welfare facility "Kamakura Children's Home" participated. On the bus to the farm, the children introduced themselves and participated in a quiz about the vegetables they would be harvesting, together with employee volunteers from Zensho Group. The children, who were nervous at first, had become good friends by the time they arrived at the farm.

Despite the unfortunate bad weather on the day, the children were full of energy! Dressed in raincoats and boots, they joined the members of Zensho Farm North Kanto who would be helping with the harvest. The children worked in groups, carefully learning how to harvest cabbage and Chinese cabbage as they went along. Laughter echoed through the air as they walked through the muddy ground and encountered frogs, typical of a rainy day.

After harvesting the vegetables, we prepare Gyudon inside Sukiya food truck. The food tastes especially good after a lot of physical activity.

Finally, as proof of their hard work harvesting, the members of Zensho Farm North Kanto presented the children with "Vegetable Harvesting Master Certificates." On the bus ride home, the children shared comments such as, "It was my first time harvesting vegetables," "I want everyone to eat the vegetables we harvested," and "I want to do it again."

Through this harvesting experience, the children learned about the joys and importance of agriculture, as well as the challenges of working. They may have gained more interest in the vegetables they usually eat, by learning how they grow and harvesting them with their own hands.

Zensho Kagayaki Children's Foundation will continue its activities to foster self-esteem and self-confidence in children living under social care by providing them with various opportunities for experiences.