Home Gardens for 200 Families, Oaxaca, Mexico

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support. Your continued commitment has been instrumental in driving meaningful progress toward improving food security and self-sufficiency for rural families in Chinantla, Oaxaca.

Over the past months, we focused on constructing 40 fuel-efficient stoves—an essential component of our strategy to enhance the quality of life in these communities. To ensure their long-term sustainability, we conducted hands-on training workshops, equipping families with the knowledge and skills needed to use and maintain the stoves effectively.

These stoves are already delivering significant benefits. By reducing reliance on traditional open-fire cooking, they help mitigate respiratory illnesses caused by prolonged smoke exposure, decrease deforestation through reduced firewood consumption, and lower the risk of domestic accidents associated with open flames.

Despite the challenges posed by tropical storm Nadine—including the collapse of a key access bridge and flooding that forced some residents to seek temporary shelter—we have made meaningful progress in implementing family gardens. An additional 15 families have participated in workshops to learn about bio-input preparation and garden management techniques and successfully begun installing their gardens. This marks an important step toward fostering food security and resilience in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way.

We take pride in these achievements and remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing the well-being and sustainable development of rural communities. These initiatives not only improve families' quality of life but also empower them to better manage their resources while protecting the natural environment they depend on.

In partnership,

Marco Acevedo, EcoLogic Program Officer, Mexico