Wishing You Peace and Joy
Dear Friend,
Happy holidays from SHI! Did you know that this year you can give a special gift to your loved ones and provide hope to a family in need?
Our waiting list of farmers who want to work with SHI is growing. We need your support to reach the families requesting assistance, families like Vivian Orellana's from the Tablón tribe. Mr. Orellana tells us:
I am 48 years old and live in the community of Jicarito. Our community is located in the middle of mountains that are covered in pine trees. We have to survive by cultivating worn-out soil that produces a low yield of corn and beans for which we are paid low prices.
We work close to the Lord, since it has been a long time since an organization has come to my community to teach us how to work and improve our crops. My wife, Blanca Lidia Pérez, is very interested in forming a women's group to work on vegetable gardens, have a chicken coop, breed animals. She wants to learn to make a Lorena (efficient wood-burning) stove, because it does not smoke up the kitchen and it consumes less firewood so you don't have to breathe in so much smoke.
In July of 2005, personnel from Sustainable Harvest International visited us. This year they hope to start projects with five communities in our sector, and we hope that our community is one of them. We know that SHI can assist our community and tribe in many ways. We are willing to give our work and dedication so that together we can achieve great results.
Mr. Orellan's story is that of hundreds of farmers who are requesting training from SHI. They aren't asking for charity, they are asking for respect. Please consider giving a very special gift this holiday season, one that can provide a hand up for the families waiting for support. Give a Gift of Hope.
Thank you for all that you have done to help SHI reach out to more than 750 families in 2005. Please send the most generous gift you can today so that we can reach hundreds more in 2006!
Warm regards,
Florence Reed
Founder and President
P.S. There are lots of holiday gift ideas at SHI's online store. Find a unique fair trade gift for your friends and family that shows how much you care! Visit: www.sustainableharvest.org
Give a Gift of Hope
Give an SHI Holiday Gift Card this year so we can extend our program to reach the community of Jicarito and the others like it waiting for the training they need. Your support will give a family hope for a future of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Give this gift in the name of a friend, colleague or family member, and a beautiful card will announce your gift.
Click here to learn more about SHI's Gift of Hope cards and see other holiday gift ideas at our online store.
SHI Participant Farmer Sends His Thanks
Bernardo Reyes Torres of Nicaragua says, "I had the need and the aspiration to create sustainability on my farm, but I did not have the economic resources or the knowledge... The benefits that I have received are many; improved planting techniques, worm compost and crop diversification with as many permanent crops as temporary ones... I plan to continue working with Sustainable Harvest as long as I can and continue following the suggestions and instructions that the extensionists give us. Many thanks, SHI, to your people here [in Nicaragua] and there [in the U.S.]."
Sustainable Harvest International • 779 North Bend Rd. Surry, ME 04684 • 207.669.8254 (phone) • 866.683.6594 (toll free) • 207.374.2093 (fax) • shi@sustainableharvest.org • www.sustainableharvest.org