MEET THE KIDS WHO FARM FOR A FOOD-SECURE FUTURE

When nine-year-old Raaina Hinay heard her favorite school garden was going to be replaced by a new building, she did what any kid would do: she fought to save it.

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With a prayer and a plea, she asked for it to be saved. Her father, Muneer, a social worker, was moved by her passion and arranged a meeting with the principal.

That simple act, which happened on her birthday in 2019, was the seed that grew into Kids Who Farm (KWF), a nonprofit organization now working to build a food-secure future for the Philippines.

The meeting didn't just save the garden — it led to a project to build an even better micro-farm right on the school grounds. This became the model for KWF's bigger mission. Their goal is simple but huge: to help Zamboanga City feed itself, breaking its reliance on other provinces for over half of its vegetables. They believe the answer lies in local food production, growing food right where people live to create both meals and livelihoods for communities often overlooked.

We talked with the inspiring father-daughter team about their incredible journey.

For Raaina, the idea to save the garden wasn't random. She was inspired by the community work she saw her father do every day. "I felt like I was trying to do a favor for the school, and I did it with my father's work in my mind," she says. "His work made me realize the value of farming."