Provide Organic Gardens for 20 Indigenous Women

As the women in  Chumanzana see what the women in the Organic Gardening Project have accomplished more women are eager to join.  The project has grown from seven participants at the beginning to eighteen this year.  The last seven members joined the group in January, 2016.

Typical of the new gardeners is  Maria Isabela.  She is nineteen years old.  She is married and has a son who is a year and a half. She was encouraged to enter the group because she saw benefits of  the garden of her sister,Josefa.  She joined the group to grow food for her family's daily meals and to sell the excess to add to the family income.  She could see that by belonging to the group, she would learn many new things.

Beyong the actual tangible benefit to the women's families, they always are eager to learn new things.  They have not had the opportunity for much formal education, but they are like sponges when they are given the opportunity for new experiences.

These womenn are given these new experiences because of your investment in the Organic Gardening Project.  Candelaria Sut, the woman in charge of the guiding the group, is paid through the funds you donate.  If you can make an additional donation now, we will be able to keep the group going and continue to add participants.  Everything is possible with a little help from a FRIEND!

After taking 3 different buses and travelling for 2-3 hours, the women’s organic gardening group arrived with excitement at “Granja el Mirador” (El Mirador Farm) in San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala. The farm, owned by Don Manuel and his wife, is a center dedicated to agroecology practices. Don Manuel and his wife offer experiential-based lessons on organic, ecological, and self-sustaining agriculture. The center also emphasizes the importance of food safety and food sovereignty.

Don Manuel is a strong advocate of equipping his local community with techniques for sustainable practices. He shared his effective approaches to gardening to the group by giving detailed explanations and also giving the opportunity for the women to dig their hands into the soil and try for themselves. Not only did the women develop gardening skills, they also learned how to care for livestock.

Don Manuel’s wife led a cooking activity where the women learned how to gather fresh herbs and vegetables and prepare them into delicious tortas. The women finished the day with smiles on their faces, feeling accomplished and equipped. Don't miss the pictures down below!

The opportunity to visit a nearby thriving farm was invaluable to the women’s organic gardening group. The new skills the women have learned have had a high impact on their families and communities.

The cost to continue the women’s organic group is $100 per month. Please consider setting up a recurring donation to contribute to this project. If 10 donors pledge $10 a month we will meet this goal. Be one of those donors!