Francisco de Orellana is a remote village on the Napo River. Water is the only means of getting there. What this means for the people here and the surrounding villages is that the only way to get supplies from the main land is also by water – this results in high costs.
While renovating the Residence for Children, STIMMA thought it was essential to provide the students and villagers with a healthy, sustainable option for food. Rather than having fresh fruits and vegetables delivered weekly to Orellana, we decided to build a garden that would allow EVERYONE to benefit.
What started out as a small project quickly doubled in size!! The community donated the land and STIMMA volunteers worked with locals to help cultivate the land. Soil was tested and in order to provide the right environment for growth, appropriate fertilizer was purchased. The team planted vegetables that would grow in the soil. Peter, the garden “foreman” instructed local officials and students on how to plant seedlings and maintain the land.
There is still lots of work to be done. The locals will continue to work on the land and hopefully when we return, one year later, there will be home grown vegetables to go with our fish!!
