Programs
It started in 1979, on 5 acres of abandoned land owned by the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu. The Wai‘anae RAP Center was developed for high school students that struggled to function in a regular classroom setting. The youth would come to Hoa ‘Āina O Mākaha from Wai‘anae and Nānākuli High School and care for the land with traditional Hawaiian values. Through this initial project, students learned how to nourish themselves by planting seeds of hope and watching their seedlings grow into the programs serving our community today.
Nā Keiki O Ka ′Āina — Children of the Land
In 1987, the principal of Mākaha Elementary, Hazel Sumile, approached Gigi and asked if he was interested in working with her students. Nā Keiki O Ka ‘Āina was born shortly after and continues to be the core program offered by HAOM in partnership with the neighboring grade school.
Its principles are based on the traditional Hawaiian values of mālama ‘āina (caring for the land) and each other. Resources and practical hands-on activities enhancing classroom lesson plans are offered as curriculum. This program has inspired thousands of Mākaha Elementary students for over 30 years and has also been used as a template for the “farm to school garden” initiative popularized 20 years later by several non-profit organizations throughout Hawai‘i.
Ke Ala — The Way
The Learning Center was established in 1996 as an extension of the Nā Keiki O Ka ′Āina program to visiting schools. Ke Ala is a classroom without walls holding space for over 4,000 students every year.
A delicate relationship between humans and the environment is observed by both private and public schools all over O‘ahu when they learn how to respect the land through hands-on activities at the farm.
The curriculum highlights three subjects: animal + plant care, cultural history of the Hawaiian Islands, and environmental science solutions.
U-Pick —
Farm to Basket Experience
“Growing your own food” became a popular topic in 2020 when the world was on lockdown. The farm’s small yet mighty staff cultivated and sold 400 lbs of produce every week for one year to sustain Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center’s Keiki Pantry program.
This emergency distribution of food stopped at the end of May 2021 as the farm transitioned into their third successful U-Pick experience. A total of eight donation-based educational events took place within its pilot year of operating and were a hit with those who attended and volunteered. We’re excited to continue our U-Pick events for the community!
Our U-Pick events are typically scheduled for the last Saturday of each month from 8am-12pm (unless otherwise noted). Guests are welcome to harvest from designated fields, assist farmers with planting, wash and weigh what you harvest, learn health benefits/recipes of whatever is in their baskets, and take starters home for their gardens. This event is free and open to the public increasing our community’s access to local, nutrient dense foods and bringing ‘ohana together for a fun day on the farm.
Hoa ‘Āina O Mākaha Community Scholarship Fund
We’re excited to announce that we have started a scholarship fund that will be administered through the Hawai'i Community Foundation!
Our Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha Community Scholarship Fund was created to support students from West O‘ahu (Kapolei to Wai'anae) who are pursuing post-secondary education degrees or vocational programs related to health of people, health of ‘āina, and health of community. This scholarship used initial funds from various sources (donations, fundraising, funders) to set up an endowment so that this scholarship can provide funding to eligible West O‘ahu students in perpetuity (forever!). We’re ecstatic to have this scholarship be an integral part of Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha’s work supporting our beloved community! Check out Hawai'i Community Foundation's Scholarship Page for more information about their array of available scholarships (in search bar, type in, Hoa 'Āina O Mākaha, for additional scholarship requirements).
Our Kitchen
During the 2014-2015 school year, through a partnership with our FoodCorps service member, we offered nutrition curriculum and healthy snacks to the Mākaha Elementary students as well as visiting schools.
Below are recipes made with the children from produce grown and harvested at the farm. Come to a U-Pick event or purchase these ingredients at your local super market. Child-approved, healthy, and delicious. Enjoy!
Our daughters absorbed so much knowledge with their experience at Hoa ′Āina O Mākaha. Not every day do you have a kid upset that it’s Friday and it’s going to be three days before they get to go back to the farm to malama the plants and animals. They developed a sense of kuleana when it comes to preservation of the ′āina and moreso, self care with not only healthy diets but also cultivating fruits and vegetables. At the end, they prepared a meal for our Ohana from scratch which was the culmination of a session of learning. We can’t wait to have our girls devote time next summer to share their experiences with the next cohort of keiki mahi′ai. I know the lessons Hoa ′Āina taught our daughters will forever be ingrained in their conscience as they continue to grow.”
– Lorena Magno, Parent
Reflection from the Na Keiki Mahi′ai summer program for grades 3 - 5 (August 2021)