Marching Forward

MARCH EDITION 2021
Marching
Forward
In this edition of the 6th grade
research journal, you can follow our
students as they take action to address
the United Nations Sustainability Goals

Partnering for the Goals
BY 6TH GRADE ........................................................... 5
Marching Forward
...................................................... 6
AL SAFWA FARMS JOINS THE HUMMINGBIRDS 10
FUME BUSTERS (WHO YOU GONNA CALL?) BY
GRACE A, GRACE M, OLIVER M AND SHREEDHAR.
14
WRIGGLY WONDERS BY METE, BRIEUC, ETHAN
AND MATHIAS .......................................................... 18
EARTHWORMS: WHAT ARE THESE TINY WIGGLY
CREATURES? BY SIMRA ........................................... 25

FOOD SUSTAINABILITY IN QATAR BY TAREQ ..... 35
Hummingbird Heroes .............................................. 42
In our next editions: ................................................. 43

Would you like to know more about why this team of
hummingbirds looks so proud? Or maybe you would like to
know why we are all holding plants?
If you have been following our research in our previous
journals then you know that our students have been
inspired to protect pollinators and make ethical choices.
Little did we know that we were about to make some new
allies who would help us to do our part in achieving
Qatar’s vision for 2030 and the United Nations sustainable
development goals...

Marching Forward
By 6th grade
The National Vision of Qatar outlines environmental
development as one of pillars of sustainable growth for Qatar.
In this issue, we will explore the importance of food security
for Qatar as well as how our students are collaborating with
local organisations to become a living part of this exciting
initiative.

Marching Forward
The mission statement for Swiss International School
proudly declares that our students are “inspired”,
“challenged” and “prepared”
The hours of hard work and research that has gone into
Service in Action this month proves that our MYP students
are not only inspired to learn outside of the classroom but
also prepared to do their part in leaving a legacy for future
generations - even though they are still children themselves!
“The pandemic is a portal”
On the 22nd February, we were invited to present our
research to schools from across Qatar and even a school in
Dubai at The Portal Conference hosted by the American
School of Doha.
The idea of The Portal was inspired by a poem about
Covid called “The Pandemic is a Portal” by Arundhati Roy.
Roy reminds us that the virus provides a wake up call to
examine our priorities. This beautiful quote summarises it
beautifully:
“We are collectively faced with a need for deep
feeling, solidarity, and action”

At The Portal Convention, we were inspired by Carl
Wilkens, author of “I’m Not Leaving”. Carl was the only
American who stayed during the Rwandan genocide
because he realised that, once the adults were murdered,
there would be lots of vulnerable children and he couldn’t
leave them to die.
Our students listened in fascination as Carl reminded us
that there is hope and light in even the darkest situations
and we need to believe in our collective power to make a
difference.
But that was just the beginning!

5 groups of MYP
students
presented their
service in action
research and we
got to listen to
other students
who were doing
what Carl
Wilkens had
been describing: bringing hope and light to the dark
situation caused by Covid.
Not only can we reach out and partner with other young
people in Doha so that we can share our skills and
experience, but we have also been asked to share our

presentations with Eco-Schools Qatar so that they can
publish our learning throughout Doha.
All of this happened because our students were willing to
put in extra time and energy to create their presentations.
They were challenged to speak in front of total strangers
and inspired to continue learning more once the
conference was over.
We are naturally incredibly proud of them.
On behalf of all the GSL teams, we would like to thank the
following people who made this event possible for us:
Marcia Jones, Chi-Yan Shang and Mary May from The
American School of Doha for
organising the event.
Lou Gillard and Lewis
Macdonald for supervising
and supporting students with
their speeches.
Ruba Benini for the much
appreciated snacks.
Look at the difference
between healthy soil and
barren sand.

Al Safwa Farms Joins The Hummingbirds
Could you imagine trying to farm in Qatar? Now
imagine trying to provide enough food for the nation
with only 100 mms of water per annum.
A number of our 6th graders were fascinated by this
topic. Tareq researched how important food security was
in the blockade, Mohammed Ali wrote about farms like
Baladna but our students weren’t really aware of any farms
that were proudly ethical and organic.
Perhaps, this simply wasn’t possible here?

Despite the harsh
farming conditions
in Qatar, there are
1300 farms who
manage to survive
on desalinated
water and Al Safwa
products come
from a farm that
has been operating
since 1975.
What makes the
farm so interesting
and fascinating is
that their food
production
techniques are
ethical and sustainable. Wahat Al Shafalahia was
established in 1975 as the Al Fardan family farm and today
they are actively inspired to provide the healthiest foods to
the Qatari people in line with the 2030 Vision for Qatar.
That means no pesticides, no dangerous chemicals and
ethical treatment for all animals. Al Safwa products are
100% organic. And in order to preserve precious resources,
many Al Safwa products are produced using hydroponics
which prevents up to 80% of water loss.
You can imagine our delight when Al Safwa contacted
us and invited us to share our research with them.

Not only, did they listen to
our dreams for a
biodiversity garden, they
taught us how to mix the
soil, peat moss and coco
substrate ( a very important
skill for carbon capture) and
they donated the most
amazing organic plants.
Have a look at how
their soil expertise
have helped our
students to make the
desert bloom:

Thanks to the generous support of Mr
Fardan Al Fardan, our students have
realised their dream of having a
sustainable biodiversity garden and
they will also be learning
hydroponics.
In exchange, the students will
continue sharing their research with
their new partner and we hope that
our friends in Al Safwa enjoy our
research in this edition.

Fume Busters (Who you gonna call?) by
Grace A, Grace M, Oliver M and Shreedhar.
The Fume Busters are a group that have entered the
Global Social Leaders to address the issue of carbon
pollution in Qatar.
In class, we learned how Qatari life expectancy has
increased enormously since 1945 due to massive economic
progress. Qatar now has amazing hospitals and airports but
all this development has come at a price.
The air pollution is alarming and due to get a lot worse
due to all the construction for the World Cup. To make
matters worse, the population is drastically increasing and
this means that there is an increase in energy needs and
more carbon emission.

Zoom has become really useful in the past year, although
a recent study has shown that just 1 hour of high definition
Zoom produces the equivalent CO2 of driving 26 km. To
put this into perspective: from Qatar Mall to Festival City is
25.9km. On top of this, high definition zoom calls produce
2.8kg per hour over 250 days.From this data I have found
out that a school of 500 children would produce 700 kg of
carbon per year if they met for only an hour a day. If they
were online for the entire day, they would produce 3500kg
of carbon. To put into perspective, a BMW I3 weighs 1,195kg
meaning for every year a small school is producing 2
BMW’s.
Meanwhile, a tree only consumes 10kg of carbon a year.
We think that the answer lies in carbon capture
gardening. Could the soil of our school capture the carbon
that we are producing?

What is a carbon capture garden? Well a carbon capture
garden is a garden with a bunch of plants that breath in the
CO2 as well as being places for recreation and wildlife.The
best thing about carbon gardens are that they absorb CO2
and that is good because today we use a lot of factories for
toys and other products we don’t necessarily need.The CO2
gardens clean the air around us.
We need CO2 gardens because CO2 is a greenhouse gas
and greenhouse gasses are very bad for the environment
and for our health.CO2 gardens won’t just solve the
problem on their own - we will need a better plan but the
CO2 gardens are a great way to help clean the air.
We really need CO2 gardens because of all the things we
do to the air and to the atmosphere.CO2 can pollute the air
and CO2 is very poisonous so if there is a lot in the air then
we could potentially damage our mental health and
possibly our physical health.
When Al Safwa donated soil, coco substrate and peat
moss, we discovered that the soil itself could capture
carbon and we are now actively pursuing composting
and permaculture as a way to increase our carbon
capture. A big thank you to Mrs Farhana Raquib for
helping us with the composting.
Another way that we can address our carbon
consumption is by examining our tissue use. Due to Covid,
we now use tissues to disinfect our learning areas. We
cannot recycle these tissues.

If we were to estimate how many tissues one person uses
for a lesson it will be 4-6 due to cleaning the tables before
and after, if we estimate how many tissues one child is
using in grade 6 they are using 40 tissues a day. Every week
will be 280 tissues which if we estimated there were around
54 pupils in our grade 2160 tissues are being used and that
is just in grade 6 and 15,120 tissues a week but including the
fact ⅕ of our grade are online everyday from Sunday to
Thursday.
You may ask how is this increasing our carbon footprint?
It’s increasing our carbon footprint by cutting down more
trees and these tissues we can’t reuse because of covid
guidelines and being wet from disinfectant.
We have a number of responsible students who have
volunteers to bring cloths to school that they can wash
daily and we are working on a plan with Mrs Olivier to do
this safely and responsibly so this is another small way to
minimize our carbon footprint.
https://daily.jstor.org/five-steps-to-making-your-garden-acarbon-sink/
#:~:text=Gardens%20can%20be%20very%20efficient,it%20i
n%20soils%20and%20plants.&text=of%20Concerned%20Sc
ientists.-,The%20key%20to%20locking%20up%20carbon%2
0is%20soil%2%80%94and%20there,making%20that%20soi
l%20store%20carbon.
https://gerrymcgovern.com/the-hidden-pollution-cost-ofonline-meetings/

Wriggly Wonders by Mete, Brieuc, Ethan
and Mathias
Worms are another amazing way to reduce our carbon
footprint as they can trap carbon in the soil. Part of the
Fume Busters team has focused on how we can use
vermiculture and composting to support the
hummingbirds and capture our carbon.
Worms are animals that are normally quite long, they are
shaped in cylindrical tube form it as no limbs, no legs, no
arms and no eyes. As you can see in the photo there worms
have loads of organs (brain, heart, anus, etc…).
They also have ventral nerve cords and they have really
small hairs used for protection and for locomotion. They
also have a very important part of the body and that is
called a clitellum. The clitellum is a big layer of skin and

usually it has a light pigment. This is where the eggs are
kept.
How can worms be helpful?
Worms can be helpful because when they eat they leave
behind castings that are really good for fertilizing
soil.Worms help the water in the soil flow nicely to the roots
of plants and worms help the increase of air that gets into
the soil.The worms bring down organic matter from the top
into the soil and they mix it around with the soil below.
Helpful worms
Are worms harmful?
Worms can look disgusting and harmful. You might think
they are going to do something bad to you but worms are
pretty calm and unharmful. They help the environment;
for example by their activity in the soil, earthworms offer

many benefits: increased nutrient availability, better
drainage, and a more stable soil structure, all of which help
improve farm productivity.
This is how Mete built our worm farm:
First, I started by poking holes in the box I was using for my
worm farm. I poked the holes so the extra water will drain
out and can be used for other soil.
Having the holes is important because if the worms get too
much water they will suffocate.
I shredded paper into little pieces to use in my worm farm.
The newspapers were too colorful to use because of the
chemicals that could harm the worms.
Next, I put the paper at the very bottom of the box. I put a
bit of water on the paper.

We put the box on top of a lid
so the extra water would drain out and be collected.
Then, I put a layer of soil over the paper. I put a bit of
water on the soil.

Then, I used left over food and coffee grinds and added
them to the soil.
This will be good for the
worms to eat and
compost.
I repeated these steps a
couple times and then
closed the box.
I read to leave this for a
week before adding the
worms.
When I have the worms I
will cover the box to make
it dark.
Finally, I added the worms. can you see them?

Mete did a wonderful job of caring for our worms. He made
sure the soil was moist (they breathe through their skin)
and he kept their wormery dark. We had a few dead worms
but most survived and we managed the flies with a
newspaper lid. We had no mould or stenches.
The worms will now go to live with the early years students
who will take very good care of them.
A big thank you to Dr Madge for reminding us that worms
are an invasive species in Qatar. Although we found no
research to indicate that they are harmful, we are not
prepared to take the risk of releasing them into our garden.
They will be very happy in their wormery.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitellum
https://web.extension.illinois.edu/worms/live/
#:~:text=Worms%20help%20to%20increase%20the,are%20
like%20free%20farm%20help.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
view=detail&mid=F6E3EFAC64EEF4A1AE93F6E3EFAC64E
EF4A1AE93&q=worm+farm+for+kids&shtp=GetUrl&shid=d
dceba0d-5598-44ce-8f9cdaf967127018&shtk=SG93IHRvIG1ha2UgYSB3b3JtIGZhcm0
gd2l0aCB5b3VyIGtpZHM%3D&shdk=SGllZmVyIFZpbGxhZ2
UgdGFsa2VkIGFib3V0IGFjdGl2aXRpZXMgYW5kIHdvcmtz
aG9wcyBmb3Iga2lkcyBkdXJpbmcgdGhlIFVyYmFuIEZhcm
0gZXZlbnQgdGhpcyB3ZWVrZW5kLg%3D%3D&shhk=NlXy
npuneUgZZ8b%2BTyN3SCPOB8mcRX5E3svg6wRiXQc%3D
&form=VDSHOT&shth=OSH.hGANUb%252Fv5c4AkghCwvq
VbA

Earthworms: What are these tiny wiggly
creatures? By Simra
But where did our worms come from? One creative young
lady decided that she would go and find some red wrigglers
for us. I knew that worms were not a Qatari species and
cost over 500 QAR but Simra insisted that she had some in
her garden.
And she was right!
Imagine that you are a gardener and your food only comes
from there but then your plants are not healthy and all
your fruits and vegetables are dying? The soil is no longer
rich and moist? What would you do! You will starve to
death! Well never fear because you can just use
earthworms. Wait a minute, what? Earthworms? Are they
worms that are as big as the earth?! Well you are going to
find out when you read this article which is all about this
topic.
Why this topic? Why not bees or something else?
This is a very important topic and it can literally change
your garden! I chose this topic because earthworms are
really interesting creatures like they have 5 hearts and they
create something called humus but don’t eat it that is
different!

This is your
garden before
and after you
add worms
My research.
Hmm let’s see what I found out about these wiggly
creatures from my google search, survey, interview and my
observation.

My first research source was google search, so I researched
3 questions the first one was: Why are earthworms good for
our soil and plant growth? According to my research they
help you form the structure of the soil and also increase the
nutrients of your soil, I even learned that red wigglers are
the best earthworms for our soil, so now you know what's
best for your garden!
The second question for my research was: What do
earthworms have or do which makes our plants grow
better? According to my research they create humus! No,
not the one you eat, the one which helps our plants and
makes them stronger also which makes our soil dark, rich
and full of nutrients.
My last research question was: what typeof soil do
earthworms like? Turns out they like loose and moist soil, I
mean I’m not surprised like who likes dry soil? No one, not
even plants! The reason why they like loamy soil is since
they breathe through their skin they need easy flowing soil
so they don’t suffocate.
So my survey was sent to the the whole G6 and the whole
G7G, obviously we can forget Mrs. Olivier
I got 24 responses so the main questions I asked was: what
do they know about Earthworms, do they know what
earthworms are, do they think we need earthworms for our
school garden, have they ever seen an earthworm and if
they have any earthworms would you care to donate.

The answers were as expected, like most people said they
knew earthworms, then half of the people said we need
earthworms for our garden, few said maybe. Then I asked
what do they know about earthworms, like “they help to
grow plants” and “they live in soil” related. After I asked
have they ever seen an earthworms most of them said yes
and some said no.
Then I showed them a picture of an earthworm and asked if
they recognized this type of worm before most of them
said yes, a few of them said maybe. Finally I asked them if
they have any earthworms to donate and the majority said
“I don’t have any”. Now moving to my interview
Interview:
In my interview I interviewed Mrs Olivier. I asked her 7
questions and they were:
Why do we use earthworms in our soil?
What benefits do earthworms have?
Do we really need earthworms for good plant growth?
What soils do earthworms like?
Can we put earthworms in potted plants?
What would you say is the lifespan of an earthworm?
How do we keep earthworms alive?
My answers:
1&2) Earthworms create tunnels which allow air and water
to easily reach the roots of plants. They digest plants into a
nutrient called humus. Worms can prevent global warming!

3) It depends. Some farmers
that use pesticide will also
use chemical fertiliser and
buy worm poop but it is not
as good as having the actual
worms.
4) Earthworms breathe through their skin so they need
soils that are moist. They
like soil that is full of leaves
that they can eat. They
have NO teeth.
5) Many people put worms
in potted plants but make
sure that your pot is big
enough to be a good home
for your wriggly friends.

Earthworms can live up to 7 years
7) We need to know about what they like and don't like. We
will need moisture in the soil. Heat is also important. If you
keep the worms inside. Never put them close to the aircon;
the soil will become dry. Do not overfeed them. You need
to make the quantity small (remember the worms have no
teeth).

My first Observation
The observation started on a Saturday night when I was
sitting on the sofa in my garden when all of a suddenI
thought, how are my plants so healthy and strong? I
decided to dig for fun. While I was digging slowly I saw
something familiar more like an Earthworm! That was
when it all made sense, no wonder why my plants are so
healthy!
My second observation
The time when I found 2 or 3 earthworms I put in a potted
plant with dry soil and see how long they could survive. I
gave them some water because I am not cruel! After 4 days
my results came and it turns out they did not survive and
unfortunately died. I learned how important and hard it is
to keep earthworms alive.
Area of observation

My viewpoint
In my Opinion I think earthworms are cute and most
importantly they are 100% needed in your garden, trust me
you wont regret it when you see that pesticides and all
those other chemicals are useless and a harm, just wait for
your plants to bloom with energy and health with
earthworms.
Coming to our conclusion
Coming to our conclusion which is really sad for me,
anyways what have you learned about these tiny creatures,
yes they might be disgusting but those disgusting creatures
will save your garden from dying! I hope you enjoyed my
journey of researching earthworms and what they are. Now
your job is to quit pesticides, chemicals and start using
earthworms!
A big thank you to Simra for donating her worms to our
garden!
Citations
Website links: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au.
https://unclejimswormfarm.com/.

https://www.education.com/science-fair/article/
earthworms-plant-growth/
#:~:text=The%20little%20bugs%20help%20the,and%20wat
er%20to%20the%20roots.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/types-soil-earthwormsprefer-51783.html
https://acegif.com/gifs-im-hungry/
https://www.jamiesgardenshop.co.za/shop/
vermicompostcastings-earthworm-compostcastings-25l/
https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/red-wigglers
https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-loam-1401908
summer_earthworms-a-gardeners-best-friend
Pictures: https://steemit.com/garden/@zhannalge1965/howto-tell-if-you-have-healthy-garden-soi
https://www.kcchronicle.com/2019/08/21/learning-to-growin-st-charles-tips-on-healthy-soil-for-healthy-plants/ajuskx1/
http://www.tractorsupply.com/out-here_issues_2007-
https://www.amazon.com/Unco-Industries-WWSB15LB-
Earthworm-Fertilizer/dp/B00062KQ42
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pesticides/
index.cfm

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-ok-to-put-earthworms-inpotted-plants
https://blog.nature.org/science/2019/04/15/the-real-reasonyou-see-earthworms-after-rain/
http://earthwormresources.weebly.com/reproduction-anddevelopment.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/299770918936294096/
Interview: On 7 December I send my Interview questions
on an email to Mrs Olivier at 7:58 AM
Observations: On 5 December, saturday night I was in my
garden digging in my plants to observe why the plants are
so healthy? Then see how do they survive in that deep
area?
Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/

Food Sustainability in Qatar by Tareq
When Tareq chose this topic, he had no idea that we would
be partnering with one of the pioneers of the organic
farming industry and I know that he will enjoy learning
more about Al Safwa and their role in making Qatar a food
secure nation.
After the trade war that has been going on between Saudi
Arabia and Qatar, Qatar decided to start producing its own
resources therefore, Qatar started focusing on planting
more fruits and vegetables.
Before we start...
Are you curious about the blockade?.. Why did the
Blockade start?...look below...
Why did the blockade start?
According to Wikipedia: The Saudi-”led” alliance referred
to Qatar's supposed help for illegal intimidation as the
fundamental purpose behind their activities, demanding
that Qatar had abused a 2014 concurrence with the
individuals from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of
which Qatar is a part.

It was believed that Qatar would have to surrender because
they would run out of food but this did not happen.
So, is it possible for Qatar to arrive at food independence
in natural produce by 2022?
Yes Indeed, in light of the fact that right now, Qatar's
natural cultivating furnishes the neighborhood market with
roughly 80% of its produce in certain seasons, yet with the
progression of time, this rate will be fixed for all seasons,
and will eventually lead to 100% independence.
But Tareq was really interested in organic produce:
How much does organic vegetables and fruits in Qatar cost?
Woohoo I need some food, what are the prices?… let’s find
out:
A blended box (roughly 7-8 kilograms) costs around QR 250
and you can likewise purchase vegetables per kilo at an
expense of QR 40 for each kilo.
What does Qatar need, to grow organic fruits and
vegetables?
“As long as you are providing the right
“temperature, right humidity, right amount of light (sun
radiation), right fertiliser and right amount of water, you
can grow anything” as joey Aguilar has said.

Which stores sell organic fruits and vegetables in Qatar? I
am starving...where do I go?...
French retail chain Monoprix has a wide scope of natural,
gluten items and perhaps the greatest choice of new
produce on the planet! Doha Festival City's Monoprix is the
biggest on the planet and has a broad scope of privately
created brands including the largest scope of natural, new
things from nearby ranchers.
on November 26, I sent a survey to 22 grade 6 students and
teachers the following questions:
Do your family buy organic fruits or vegetables?
Which fruit/vegetable is your favorite?
What do you know about organic fruits and vegetables?
Do you like organic fruits and vegetables that are in
Qatar? Why?
Do you think that organic fruits and vegetables are
better than non organic ones?
If yes, why do you think that?
Are you curious to find out the following answers. The
answers are:

On November 25 I Observed the video “Qatari farmers
trying to find new ways to increase production”
and will answer the following questions based on the
video :
What is Global Farms
It is one of just 1,500 farms in Qatar and they run a
hydroponic farm, the water which feeds the plants has to
be drinkable to make great organic fruits and vegetables.

It is turning the Saudi Blockade disaster into an
opportunity.
It sells over 45 types of organic fruits and vegetables but
growing food in Qatar is not easy with soil, as the
temperature most of the times in summer’s exceeds
40degrees celsius.
The vegetables in Qatar
have become a symbol of
National patriotism and
now you can see how our
6th graders have joined
the global efforts to
provide food security
thanks to Al Safwa
products.
Although we come from
different countries, we
are now firmly rooted in
the soils of Qatar and we
hope to grow alongside
her.

Citations
Survey link: https://forms.gle/WS2q53LpdpkDWiah6
Google search links:
https://www.iloveqatar.net/guide/living/organic-vegetablefarms-and-markets-inqatar#:~:text=A%20mixed%20box%20(app
approximately%207,a%20free%20home%20delivery%20ser
vice.
https://www.iloveqatar.net/guide/living/organic-vegetablefarms-and-markets-inqatar#:~:text=A%20mixed%20box%20(approximately%207,
a%20free%20home%20delivery%20service.
https://www.iloveqatar.net/news/general/qatars-organicfarming-continues-to-grow-with-made-in-qatarvegetables#:~:text=Qatar%20to%20reach%20self%2Dsuffici
ency%20in%20organic%20produce%20by%202022&text=C
urrently%2C%20Qatar's%20
Observation video link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NeeHHFWZKE
Picture links:https://delhispeaking.in/organic-fruits-andvegetables-in-delhi
https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/organic-fruits-andvegetables-21113814462.html
https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/want-to-grow-organicfood-at-home-here-are-5-foods-to-start-with-2212899

Hummingbird Heroes
Anyone who has ever been to our lobby would have seen
the magnificent horticultural skills of our support staff. In
countries like Nepal and the Philippines, food security is a
matter of daily life. As such, this wonderful team has
developed green fingers and they have offered to support
our young farmers.
In exchange for some of the plants, they will help our
students watering over the weekend and during holidays

and this will help our students to understand best watering
practices.
In our next editions:
Keep reading to find out about how our students are
collaborating with PYP to create a month of awareness
for biodiversity.
And what about our older MYP students? Find out how
the 7 and 8s have been collaborating with the MOPH to
address mental health issues for themselves and
younger learners.
If you have enjoyed any of these
stories and would like to be more
involved, please contact Mrs Olivier.
colivier@sisq.qa
Together we can keep the fires of
learning alive.