Empower Guatemalan Families With Food & Nutrition

The first week in April, four top members of the Seeds Field Team were in Chajul, in an area of North-East Guatemala known as the "Ixil Triangle" as part of our new OUTREACH TO OTHER REGIONS that also suffer from malnutrition.

Seeds Project Manager Armando, with Julio, Clelia & Bernarda, conducted 5 days of hands-on learning and "site-specific" consulting on nutrition gardens, raising mushrooms, the importance of nutrition for family members, and how to enhance the nutritional value of popular local meals. Previously, a community assessment had been conducted in Chajul to ensure that the training delivered by our Team would be appropriate for the local environment, climate, culture and resources.

Two Ixil organizations, AMACHAJUL and ACEFOMI, sponsored this learning event as part of their committment to helping local families improve both nutrition and food security. First a demonstration nutrition garden was installed at the AMACHAJUL Center. All 25 participants (mostly women) got practical experience in soil prepation, planting seeds or seedlings and of course, watering. The Team also showed how to use various types of discarded objects for container gardening, which is ideal for families with limited space and also promotes re-purposing of trash. 

Visits to participants' homes allowed our Team to share ideas on how to make the best use of the varied spaces available at different homes. Participants also received detailed information and practical experience in growing Oyster mushrooms, prized for their tasty nutrition. 

We are extremely pleased with this outreach learning event! The Seeds Field Team learned more about what to look for during the pre-event community assessment, and how to meet existing challenges. The participants and their families are already implementing what they learned. Our Team will be conducting more of these training events in the future, as we work to expand our knowledge sharing and coaching to new areas and more families! 

YOUR SUPPORT CONTINUES TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT of our ability to provide these services and help families build better lives for themselves.

PLEASE RENEW YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT NOW, and consider making a gift on a recurring monthly basis.

Warm regards,

Suzanne de Berge, President

• Post-event Report from AMACHAJUL (DOCX)
• Expected Results (English) in Chajul (DOCX)

With your support in 2018 it was possible for our local Seeds Field Team to start 72 new Nutrition Gardens and 31 integrated Casa-Granja backyard farms with rural families in over 12 different communities around Chocolá!

This is a great success in the fight against malnutrition which we want to celebrate with YOU!

2018 we also coached more than 400 additional people in:

• Nutrition garden & Casa-Granja backyard farm
• Organic fertilizer and pest control 
• Understanding nutrition needs, especially for small children
• Using nutritious plants and proteins in healthy meals & fresh juices

This year, we would like to invite YOU to become a recurring donor with just $20 - Buys monthly needs of organic fertilizers & pest control - or to make a major gift to help us bring even more nutrition family gardens to poor rural people in 2019!

Jeffren and his family, for example, recently joined Seeds for a Future's Casa-Granja (backyard farm) program. Just 5 years old, Jeffren and his grandmother Angela take care of a nutrition garden which provides healthy foods for the entire family. Next year he will go to kindergarten and he is already excited about telling his new friends what he has learned about plants and healthy foods. He loves lettuce and to prepare fresh and tasty salads with his family!

Visit our new Website for more information & sign up to our Newsletter here!

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPASSIONATE SUPPORT FOR RURAL FAMILIES!!!

Links:

• New Seeds for a Future Website