Progressio development worker Karina writes:
Over the past week we have been continuing workshops on food security and preventive health with women of the mothers' centers and ASOMELIN. We conducted three workshops in three areas: Partido (15 participants), Loma de Cabrera (22 participants) and Cruz de Cabrera (42 participants).
Motivated, interested, committed - the women could not do more
With every workshop we increased the number of participants - it is amazing to see how many people are motivated and interested, but unfortunately we cannot include them all.
And it's also encouraging for us that the beneficiaries are so committed and they continue providing transport and refreshments for the workshops. That's a huge contribution of the beneficiaries, our team needs only to give the training.
More families benefiting - a real achievement by the women
My colleague Rosa and I also started the follow-up on the chicken raising activities we implemented last year. The women managed to maintain their chickens and to breed from them, in order to deliver 10 chickens to another beneficiary family, as planned within the 'rotation' scheme.
It's great to see this working and that we can progressively increase the number of families receiving chickens. Above all it's a real achievement by the women.
Planning ahead and growing more
Another thing we observed with satisfaction is that the small family gardens are producing constantly. There is now no period when the women are not planting. The women successfully incorporated the new planting practices and the planning, so they are planting according to the climate conditions and are using seeds adapted to extreme weather conditions.
Above that, they are self-managing and maintaining their gardens, as they managed to produce their own seeds, so they do not need to purchase them or get them from other providers or Solidaridad Fronteriza.
We still need more funding
All these small achievements are motivating me and Rosa enormously and we know that all efforts are worth it, although we are facing a lot of challenges, especially the limited funds.
Photo: Karina Cuba with farmer Elena Tusen (photo © Fran Afonso/Progressio)
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