Provide Organic Gardens for 20 Indigenous Women

The women in Chumanzana have realized their first harvest. They are enjoying the addition to their meals of these fresh vegetables: radishes, onions, herbs, beets, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, parsley, and cilantro. They are putting into practice the suggestions made by Candelaria, who is in charge of the project, for taking care of their garden.

To protect their gardens from the cold or frost in the morning, they put an old tub or basket over the plants for the night, so that the plants won’t be damaged. Despite this practice, Maria lost her tomatoes, lettuce, and some of her herbs in a morning frost. She wasn’t discouraged by this and focused her attention on the lettuce and other products her family had already eaten.

Most of the women are trying to save seeds from their plants to use in the next planting. They do not harvest some of the vegetables and let them go to seed. Catalina has a large cabbage and can’t decide if she should eat it or save it for seed.

Others have surrounded their gardens with fences of cane to keep the animals like chickens and pigs out. Chickens have been a particular problem for Isabel.

Candelaria is providing them with compost to enrich their gardens. She has access to it through her brother who works on a farm that produces it.

The women proudly shared their gardens with a recent group of visitors from the U.S. The group was impressed with what the women had accomplished. These women are not afraid of hard work and walk the hills of Chumanzana with ease.

They appreciate what the Kateri Fund has done to support their work. We always remind them that it is your donations that make it all possible. Please consider an additional donation now, so we can continue our work in Chumanzana and spread it to our other project in Santa Clara la Laguna.

Everything is possible with a litle help from a FRIEND!

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