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I would really like to share with you some of the great projects that we have executed in El Salvador this past year. In 2009 we really wanted to focus on making the children's homes self-sustainable. With the economic crisis, these homes really struggle as donations and support diminish and costs continue to rise. We wanted to work to provide animal husbandry and agriculture projects for all the homes to allow them to stand more independently and ensure the nutritional quality of the diets they are providing for their children. As a regular part of the Angels of Hope program we distribute food items, but they are basic grains and non-perishable goods. The items that the homes need to find for themselves are fresh produce and protein products.
One of the projects that we did in El Salvador is a project in Hydroponics. The provision of the project started with training workshops and education, worked through construction and getting the gardens off the ground, and finishes with continued supervision and technical assistance as well as workshops regarding how to ensure the sustainability of the project and the costs associated with its continuity.
Seven orphanages participated in the project. As I visited the homes and saw the proyects for the first time in person, I was impressed and overwhelmed over and over again. The homes are harvesting fresh herbs and vegetables on a daily and weekly basis. They boasted of the fact that they were growing the most beautiful tomatos in the country and that their radishes were larger than any radish they have seen in the market. They are planting a variety of crops and cycling the boxes so that one box of each crop is ready for harvesting while the others are in different stages of growth. I ate fresh cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, celery, cabbage, broccoli, green onions and watercress.
In each of the homes the children are involved and assisting with the projects but in some homes they have developed the project even further and offer Hydroponics as a vocational course. In these cases the children are almost 100% responsible for the project and they themselves have received the technical training from our Hydroponics engineer.
One of the seven homes that is very dear to my heart is Hogar Dolores Medina. This home caters to a small population of boys who have previously been living on the streets and suffering from drug addictions. The boys generally come into the home when they are 8, 9, or 10 years old. These young boys have lived lives of struggle and suffering that many adults cannot even imagine. The home has always had difficulty becoming accepted in the community. The neighbors often shunned the boys or even feared them when they played on the street or walked by on their way to school or soccer practice. Despite the loving nature of the children, their pasts have continued to haunt them and affect how their community has treated them over the years.
As this project started to develop in the home, the neighbors grew curious. By the time they were harvesting their first crops, the home realized that they were going to have a large surplus of produce. The home only houses up to 10 boys at a time and the Hydroponics garden was providing more than enough for them to eat for lunch and dinner on a daily basis. The boys suggested to the sister that they try to sell some of the produce to the neighbors. This has opened new doors and changed the environment in which this home used to exist. The neighbors have come to know the boys and have fallen in love with them. Persons who used to close their doors, now call out and ask the boys to come knock on the door when the lettuce is ready. This project has indirectly changed the perceptions of an entire community towards this boy's home. They can now see that the boys are good-hearted, hard working, lovable children who flourish with the love and attention of those around them. The Sister who runs the home expressed this story and her gratitude for the project with tears in her eyes, saying that a large weight was lifted from them and replaced with love and acceptance.
