The old saying we have all heard; “Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”, we have developed our own version. Teach a child to plant and you will feed him for a lifetime. Additionally, it is one more life skill in their toolbelt, that will enable them to break their cycle of poverty. One of the best social projects we have developed that has the most potential, is our gardening project/contest.
We recently purchased about 200 plants to initiate a gardening project with the children to teach them how to grow their own food. From the very first child, I saw a spark in his eyes when we gave him his plants and showed him how to plant them. It was an incredible feeling to see his face light up as he dug down and tenderly place the plant in the ground. This continued child after child. We had enough plants for about 10 families as a pilot project. We told the children there would be a prize for who grew the largest garden, a brand new bicycle of their choosing.
We had tomatoes, onions, green peppers, jalepenos of course, papaya, egg plant, and laroco, were the first group of plants we chose from the greenhouse. The papaya is a tree and will continue to produce year after year, the laroco is a vine and will also produce year after year. When harvest time comes, we will teach them how to harvest and save their seeds.
As a pilot project we picked 10 families with children we felt would be responsible. The children along with their siblings helped cultivate the soil, place the plants in the ground, and then water and care for their baby plants. We will provide fertilizer at the appropriate times and help teach them, giving them responsibility for their garden and plants. Some of the children have already made fences around their gardens to keep the chickens out from eating their plants. If this program is successful, our goal is to roll it out to the entire community and bring in a professional to provide further instructions and tips.
I love the spark of creativity that this simple little project has created in them. This is why we are faithfully building our Center of Dreams. We want to continue to create these sparks of creativity and open their minds to learning new things. This Center of Dreams will prayerfully be the tool that will permanently sever the chain of poverty in their families. So often, due to a lack of funds or opportunities, children are destined to repeat the same cycle of poverty as their parents. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to find new ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus and radically change these children’s lives, now, and for eternity!
