Agros Blog

Our 1st Annual Agros 5K Fun Run/Walk is coming up Saturday September 13, 2008 at Magnuson Park (directions). Early registration deadline is next Friday September 5, 2008.

Invite your friends and family to run and bring awareness about the great need for hope and opportunity in Central America and Mexico.

Schedule:
Race Day Registration: 7:30 - 8:30 am
Run and Walk: 9:00 am
Awards: 10:00 am
Kids Dash (ages 5 and under): 10:30 am
Kids Dash (ages 6 to 10): 10:30 am

Fees:
Run:
$25.00 per person, early registration, through 9/5- includes registration and T-shirt.
$30.00 per person, late registration (after 9/5) and race day - includes registration and T-shirt (T-shirt will be mailed to you).

Walk:
$25.00 per person, early registration, through 9/5- includes registration and T-shirt.
$30.00 per person, late registration (after 9/5) and race day - includes registration and T-shirt (T-shirt will be mailed to you).

Kids Dash: Free.

Runners/Walkers can register online, by fax, email or snail mail:
Register Online
Download PDF

Become a Fundraiser!
You can help Agros by creating your own fundraising web page for this event. Invite your friends to join the mission of Agros and let them know about the Agros 5K Fun Run. Click here to start.

For more information about the event:
- Email Doug Haley at racedirector@agros.org
- Or call 206.528.1066

In April of this year, we shared how the skills and hard work of the Guatemalan refugees living on the southern border of Chiapas, Mexico, were in stark contrast to the desperate need and injustice they have faced for generations (see previous blog post).

Today, four months later, this group of families coming from Los Pinos and neighboring community Zapaluta, are getting ready to purchase land for the first time in their lives.

Santa Fé Ajké, Spanish and Mam for “Our Holy Faith,” is the 36th Agros village, the 5th community in Mexico, and the first group to purchase land in a new region of Chiapas. The families preparing to make the move to their new land are predominately Mam and Jacalteco, originally from the Ixcan region of Guatemala, just over the Mexican border. During the civil war in Guatemala (1970s-1990s), violence spread throughout the countryside, burning homes and fields and killing innocent families all over the country.  As a result, many Guatemalan families fled to Mexico for refuge. While they found respite from the war, they have nevertheless struggled to survive amidst discrimination, racism, neglect, and extreme poverty.

Now — over 25 years later — the families making up Santa Fé Ajké are beginning a new chapter in their lives. Having carried their cultural knowledge across borders and generations, they are excited to have the opportunity to partner with Agros and search for, select, and soon own land where they will live, work, and raise their families in safety. Women talk of raising small animals and selling homemade bread and handicrafts. Men plan for new sustainable ways to grow diverse crops. Children are interested in continuing their education and learning trades. In this 247-acre community, children, women and men are dreaming of the new possibilities for the first time. Where fear and despair once took hold, they can now plan for the future.

We have some exciting developments in Agros Mexico right now with the opening of a new region in Chiapas.  Over the past year we have been working to assess the feasibility of working on the border of Mexico and Guatemala, to start new Agros communities with Guatemalan refugees who fled during the civil war to Mexico.  There are over 6,000 refugees who escaped to Mexico in the 1980s and have chosen to remain and become Mexican citizens.  Most live in poverty and suffer from discrimination for being both indigenous and Guatemalan.  Agros Mexico undertook a feasibility study and in the process identified dozens of potential groups with which we could work, to help the families break out of poverty through land ownership and the Agros model.

The first group that Agros will work with is in its final stages of the selection process, and a piece of land has been identified.  We are working through our village approval process and if all the key criteria are met will be starting this village in late August, including purchasing the land.  Twenty-five families who come from great suffering and turmoil will be given a new opportunity and new hope.

We have also been selected as finalists for the 2008 Global Development Marketplace competition through the World Bank, with a proposal based on the work to be started in this new region of Mexico.  The proposal is for $200,000 to help start two Agros communities with indigenous populations.  Out of the original 1,700 proposals they received, 100 organizations have been chosen to continue after a rigorous review of the applications by 200 development specialists.  Agros was one of them!

The Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program administered by the World Bank and supported by various partners that identify and fund innovative, early-stage projects with high potential for development impact.  Since its inception in 1998, DM has awarded about $40 million (US) to more than 1,000 projects through global, regional and country level marketplaces.  Using DM funding as a launching pad, many projects have gone on to scale up or replicate elsewhere.

The 2008 DM competition sought proposals on the theme of Sustainable Agriculture for Development with sub-themes that address agriculture as an engine of growth, agriculture as an instrument of poverty alleviation and agriculture as a provider of environmental services.  We will now submit a more detailed proposal and are invited to attend the Marketplace Event September 23-26 in Washington, D.C. where 20 organizations from the 100 finalists will be awarded grants.  Both Sergio Sanchez, our Agros Mexico Director, and myself will be attending.  You can see the other finalists here.

This is a time of great celebration here at Agros as we announce the beginning of two new villages, Villa Hortencia I in Guatemala, and Nuevas Esperanzas in Nicaragua. Over 150 families are now beginning a new life of hope and opportunity.

Agros Village #35 Nuevas Esperanzas, Nicaragua
This community, formerly known as El Naranjo, waited for years to have the opportunity to own  land.  Their primary sources of income and food came from growing basic grains on rented land and working as day laborers on sugarcane and coffee plantations.  Fathers and sons would leave their families behind for months to work in the plantations, struggling to provide enough income to survive.  After so many years of living in devastating poverty, these 36 families are now able to stay together throughout the year, learning new skills to develop agricultural business projects on land they will one day own.  Journeying through the Agros development process, these families will learn to diversify their crops and economic activities, building the necessary infrastructure to ensure growth.  In a way that just wasn’t possible before, they can now seize opportunities for literacy, healthcare, education, and economic sustainability.  You can read more about Nuevas Esperanzas here.

Agros Village #34 Villa Hortencia I, Guatemala
After decades of war, hunger, and profound struggle, one hundred and twenty Quiche families now have the opportunity to flourish.  The 36-year civil war in Guatemala was devastating for the villages in this region, leaving families marginalized, displaced, and forgotten. In 2006 the Guatemalan Land Fund gave these families rights to 688 acres of land in Villa Hortencia.  While this was a hopeful first step, the land they received was rocky, dry, and not very productive.  Lacking the necessary agricultural knowledge and support, the families continued to struggle.

Agros began working with the families in Villa Hortencia last June, exploring a variety of ways to provide assistance.  Last week the Agros Noemi committee approved the long-term support that will be used to provide agricultural training and community development, maximizing the potential of these families to work their way out of  poverty.  Click here to read more.

We have a new opening at Agros for a Major Gift Officer:

GENERAL FUNCTION:  Initiate and cultivate relationships with potential major donors (individuals, businesses, and family foundations) who have the capability of making significant financial contributions to Agros International; maintain and build strong relationships with existing Agros International major donors; and professionally and effectively ask for financial gifts to fund the mission and program of Agros International.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Minimum of 3-5 years major donor fundraising experience
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Effective combination of being people-oriented, detail-oriented, and direct enough to ask for large gifts
• Capability to develop and maintain long-term funding relationships
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to meet deadlines
• Proficient computer skills (Microsoft Office and Blackbaud’s “Raiser’s Edge”)

PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.

Agros International is pleased to welcome its new Director for Agros Honduras, Joel Martínez.

Joel Martínez Durón is a certified Agricultural Engineer with a Master’s Degree in ‘Generation of Development Projects’ and a background in Business Administration and Organizational Development. Joining Agros as the Executive Director of Agros Honduras, Joel’s twelve years of experience directing development projects in the field will greatly contribute to the families in Agros Honduras communities.

Prior to his role with Agros, Joel served as the Director of Program Development in Morzán Yoro for World Vision Honduras.  Joel led the strategic and operative planning process for the program, as well as comprehensive monitoring of the program’s impact.  He directed a team of field staff providing health, education, and economic development projects to the targeted population.

Joel was also responsible for administering the World Vision sponsorship program that generates 50% of the program’s funding. With his depth of experience and networking contacts relevant to the work of Agros, Joel will be a tremendous leader as the Honduras team continues to bring land, hope, and life to impoverished families in Honduras.

Welcome Joel!

I recently had the opportunity to take Claude Nikondeha, founder of the Amahoro Network, to see our work in Nicaragua. Claude is from Burundi, and he is interested in contextualizing and implementing the Agros development model in East Africa. This is what Claude shared with his network after our trip:

Dear friends,
Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Latin America for the first time. I arrived in Nicaragua to learn first-hand about the work of AGROS INTERNATIONAL. Upon my arrival, I immediately recognized that the people of Nicaragua are wonderful people with the most beautiful language, living a simple life of caring for each other and the land that God has given them. As I walked through their communities and witnessed the pride in their agricultural accomplishments, I was impressed with their eagerness to work hard to bring about lasting change in their villages. Their joy was contagious, and I found myself infused with deep delight with each encounter, with each story told and each meal shared together. Cultivating and owning your own land, is good news, indeed!

The vision of Agros is “to restore hope and opportunity to the world’s poor.” In other words they go after what Jesus called ‘the least of these’ and give them tangible hope in the form of farmland. For the last 25 years, Agros has been doing rural community development in Latin America with a simple but very transformative process — building self-sustaining and thriving communities.

While mistakes have been made, it is success that thrives as Agros creates communities with land, local leadership, homes, and a spirit of generous hospitality. Their work is a visible manifestation of God’s good news to the impoverished people of Latin America.

I went to Nicaragua hoping to be inspired for ‘the least of these’ in my own homeland of Burundi. Indeed, the rural farmers of Nicaragua inspired me beyond what any book or essay on rural development could have ever done! These are people who are getting their ‘first chance’, their first real opportunity to build a home, own land, run a business, lead in their village and experience the goodness of God’s provision. Their industrious and gracious spirit reminds me of my African kinsmen, and I feel like I have got a glimpse of hope for the countryside of Burundi.

For many years I have looked for a way to sustain healthy development in a rural setting and a communal culture. I believe this is it, this is what it can look like! Agros offers a paradigm that offers me hope; it is a model that can deliver real transformation on the ground. This model allows communities to grow, leadership to develop and opportunity to spring up like wild flowers. I have seen what is possible in Nicaragua, and I believe that it is possible in Burundi and across rural Africa. By partnering with the poor and making land, agricultural knowledge, community development and leadership training available to them, good things can grow. This can be good news for Africa! This summer while my family and I spend time in Burundi, one of the things we will be exploring will be a potential local NGO who can partner with Agros to bring this opportunity to the poor of Burundi.

Amahoro,
Claude Nikondeha

The move is now officially complete. The Agros Seattle staff started working at the new office on Monday (3/17/08).

Special thanks goes out to Agros Office Manager Kathy Kautzky for shepherding, facilitating, and managing what has been a mammoth undertaking. She has managed this process with efficiency and remarkable grace.

Please note: our phone number will stay the same, however our new address is now:

2225 4th Ave. 2nd Floor
Seattle, WA. 98121

In order to better serve the mission of Agros the Seattle office will be relocating to a new space on March 15, 2008. We’ve worked hard over the last several years in our current office space to maximize resources and accommodate a growing organization. For Agros, organizational growth is driven by a determination to meet the enormous need of struggling, landless, rural poor families.We are committed to meeting that need with passion, resourcefulness, and conscientious stewardship.

After many months of diligent searching, we will be moving to the corner of 4th and Bell, in Belltown. (For those of you outside of Seattle, Belltown is a neighborhood north of downtown Seattle, and south of the Space Needle).

Driven by a desire to be as economical and wise as possible in our selection we spent nearly a year looking for the right space. This office in Belltown is by far the most economical option of all the spaces viewed and it also allows us room to expand without over-committing resources. The building itself is owned by a non-profit housing management organization which operates residential units for elderly and disabled people on the upper floors, and is in a neighborhood that is full of other non-profits and service related institutions.

As a staff we’re excited for not only the move, but also the ongoing growth opportunities ahead of us. We realize that fundamentally, growth means more families having the opportunity to escape the suffering of extreme poverty, and building new lives for themselves.

We’ll soon have an open-house event at the new space, and we look forward to seeing many of you there.

Nuestra casa es su casa.

Trace Bundy, a world renowned guitarist and a passionate Agros supporter, will be releasing his newest DVD recording on Monday, March 10th at the Triple Door in Seattle.

The album “Missile Bell” is named after the story of an Agros village in El Salvador called San Diego de Tenango. Tenango’s history is laced with hardship and displacement. During El Salvador’s civil war, the villagers fled the country, surviving the war in Honduran refugee camps. They returned years later to find their land destroyed and occupied. With the help of Agros, the 18 families were able to purchase property and embarked on a new life together. The families, filled with gratitude and deep faith, postponed building their own homes in order to build a church and hold a service of thanks. But they needed a church bell. So they went searching and found an old missile casing leftover from the war - perhaps similar to one that destroyed their village in the first place - and they hoisted it up on a rope, transforming it into their bell.

Their missile-turned-to-bell speaks to the power of redemption: ugly become beautiful, dead things alive, old things new. Trace took that image and wrote a song called “Missile Bell” playing ugly, dissonant chords in a way that becomes harmonious. He plays it as a proclamation of peace and a testament to the villagers in El Salvador.

Trace and his wife Becca have recently committed to a six-year Journey with a Village partnership with a new village in Guatemala called “Villa Linda”. It is their desire to use their platform as artists to advocate on behalf of the poor and marginalized. Partnering with Agros has been an exciting way to make that vision a reality. The story of Tenango’s Missile Bell continues to impact their lives, their work, and their faith.

We invite you to come experience Trace’s music at his DVD release show, and particularly to hear this song “Missile Bell” and remember the families of Tenango.

Triple Door Mainstage
216 Union St. Seattle, WA
Monday, March 10th 7:30 pm
$10 advance / $12 at the door
206.838.4333
All-Ages - doors at 5:30pm
Tickets Available HERE
www.tracebundy.com

Graduation from university is always an exciting time in anyone’s life. But try to imagine what it must feel like if you were not only the first one to graduate from your family, but also the first from your town? And then imagine that you took all of your classes in a second language, and even began to learn a third language during your years at university. The joy and excitement would be that much more.

This is exactly what happened for four young women and one young man from the Ixil on November 17, 2007. They walked across the stage in their caps and gowns and received their diplomas as professional technicians from the Universidad del Valle in Guatemala. In the audience were members of their families who had left the Ixil in the Guatemalan highlands at 3am that morning to make the trip. These young people had received scholarships from the University and other non-profit organizations to attend four years of schooling-two years to finish their high school degrees and then two more years to receive technical training in their choice of specialty. Three of them chose to focus on agroforestry techniques and the other two focused on tourism. All five plan to return to the Ixil to find jobs, continue studying and serve their communities.

Just months after I began working for Agros in 2003, these five youth won their scholarships and began their studies. They traveled 8 hours away from their families to the University, and to a whole new world. From their small villages to the city of Solola, from their world of speaking Ixil with their families to taking all their classes in Spanish, which is their second language. It was a tough transition. At times they wanted to just leave and return home. They had to have special tutors and take remedial classes when they fell behind in their classes. The first year was the hardest, but they made it. Since then, they’ve served as support to the 17 other youth from the Ixil who have also gotten scholarships in recent years. On November 17th they served as examples that it can be done. And they were so proud.

I had the great honor of attending their graduation ceremony in November. Sitting in the audience, I thought back to that first year when I visited them as they began their studies. I no longer saw the timid young people who were trying to find their place in the world. Now I saw five mature people, proud of their heritage, proud of their new skills, and excited about what life has in store for them. With dreams and hopes, and the tools to achieve them. What a blessing to witness this, and what a blessing they will be to their communities.

As we begin the New Year, within the Agros family we join with you in looking back over this past year and ahead to the next. There have been times of great joy, great sorrow, suffering from natural disasters in the villages, celebrations of new project beginnings and quite a few land title ceremonies. It has been a full and rich year.

As a family we have experienced tremendous sorrow as we walked alongside Don Valencia and his family through his profound journey with cancer. We have seen true friendship in action from so many in Don’s community, including the Agros Board of Directors, and specifically current and former Board members Skip, Art, and Wes. So many accompanied Don and his family daily until his passing. We continue to mourn his death and celebrate his life.

There was a outpouring of solidarity within the Agros family as we traced the terrible hurricane winds, learned of the damage, and immediately there was a tremendous response to restore the lost crops, temporary housing and health of the vulnerable villagers. Thank you once again for helping all of the affected villagers make it through this unexpected natural disaster.

In the villages we have celebrated new land-owners through land title ceremonies, we’ve seen graduations for literacy achievements, we’ve cheered as university degrees were handed out to several young students from the first Agros communities in Guatemala, and we’ve seen a class of new carpenters trained at the Ixil Guatemala Training Center.

And the Agros family continues to grow! The family grew in the US through new Journey with a Village partner commitments, and through new supporters giving to the One Seed Gift Catalogue. And perhaps what is most exciting — there are more than a hundred new families in Mexico and Central America that will became part of the Agros family through new village projects soon to be launched!

What lies ahead? Land. Hope. Life! We can already see that in 2008 the growth and pace will increase, many more people will become aware of this work and come alongside to support it, and more importantly — hundreds of families will experience the dream of breaking free from poverty. We know that challenges lie ahead as well, and in the midst of it all we will continue to seek to grow in our understanding of what it takes to restore the many broken relationships that define systemic poverty. We will continue to grow in our understanding of what it takes to empower entire communities in their dreams of leaving poverty behind for good.

Join us in the journey as we seek to follow, to serve and to give thanks in all things.

The following is a translation of an article written by Agros Guatemala Board Member Humberto Preti and published in the Guatemalan newspaper ‘Prensa Libre’:

“Last week the Agros Guatemala directors went to visit the communities that Agros supports in Barillas, Huehuetenango. After traveling through the beautiful peaks of Los Cuchumantes, we arrived (over torturous, difficult roads) at our destination and were surprised to see the inhabitants of these communities truly involved and working with a spirit of betterment. The men and women there are developing an aptitude for entrepreneurship.

It’s clear just how important the organization’s support has been for them. They are working hard by themselves, taking initiative and participating in projects that go above and beyond the aid that they have been given. Pascual particularly impressed us. In spite of his lack of education, he was able to build a drier for his coffee, which he made entirely by himself by copying the drawings that he saw in a manual. There are other community members developing their own businesses and implementing projects as well, some on their own and others in a communal fashion. The communal projects include a tilapia tank for raising fish, important buildings for the community such as schools, and sewing rooms to keep the machines in (some of which were acquired through loans).

Agros has been providing women with loans in the form of a community-run bank, which they have already taken to the next level by receiving training to be able to process their own loans. It’s admirable to see that no one has been defaulting on the loans ‘ve received and that some women are already moving on to their third loan.

It was our turn during the visit to one of the communities to give the land titles to everyone there who had repaid their land loans (in the Agros Guatemala village “El Edén”). Since the Agros model isn’t about giving everything away for free, it generates hard work and commitment among the villagers. This desire to improve is visible in the Canjobal communities as much as it is in the Ixil triangle - the importance that they are giving to their children’s education, their desire to get trained in different skills. These things have been made possible with the help of Guatemalan organizations such as INTECAP (a training program developed by the Industry Council of Guatemala) and ANACAFE (Guatemalan Association of Coffee Growers), as well as other organizations like Agros International, Generalitat Valenciana (Spanish Municipal Organization), USAID (US Agency for International Development) and other international organizations that have dedicated themselves to helping the poor by investing in productive projects.

In some communities where there are water resources, the families are already thinking of building their own hydroelectric system. Although there are already electricity networks in nearby, the villagers are not able to pay the excessive charges due to our dependence on hydrocarbons.

We then went to see La Providencia, the new farm that benefits one hundred families, and saw how there exists in each family member a desire to begin work on various projects and the construction of their homes. Nobody was thinking about the past, or about vengeance; their minds were on the future and in the wellbeing of their families in spite of having been among the communities most affected by the useless armed conflict that had plunged them into misery for many years. They are making gigantic steps. The families are already receiving information about birth control and are accepting it with interest.

The satisfaction of seeing these groups that are moving ahead, with clear visions, was my Christmas gift.

Agros lost a great friend on December 8, 2007.

Don Valencia, board member since 1995, and co-chairman of the board from 2000-2007, died of liver cancer after a 15-month battle that was inspirational to all who knew him.

The possibility of cancer was first discovered during an Agros board retreat at the Valencias’ Whidbey beach home in late September 2006. His casual statement about a persistent pain in his side during dinner the first night of the retreat caught the attention of Larisa Kaukonen, another board member and a physician. She insisted he go to the emergency room immediately, and told him she would go with him. Many tests and several different diagnoses later, the worst was confirmed: metastasized stage-4 cancer of the liver and lungs.

Driving to the Whidbey house in the early afternoon before other board members arrived for that retreat, Don was overcome with the realization that the most important thing in life is to love and be loved. It was a powerful truth that gripped his life and set the course for the next year and three months.

Concurrent with discovering the cancer, he found a new and intimate love for Jesus. New insight from scripture leapt out at him. He shared those insights with friends far and near. Those close to him witnessed a re-making of the man. For the entire 15 months, God was daily chiseling away and shaping Don into an entirely new being.

His love for his wife Heather deepened immeasurably. As with so many men who accomplish so much in life, he was not an easy man to be married to. The cancer opened his eyes to how he had let so many other things cut into his relationship with Heather.

He also saw his two boys, Johnny and Bo, with new eyes. He was eager to spend time with them, to rejoice in their successes, and to teach them the marks of mature manhood. He had long wanted to write a book for his boys that would contain all a father would want to say to his sons. This wish had its unplanned realization in a blog he began to write in October 2006 through a site (donvalencia.com) designed by a close friend from Starbucks days. His blog entries, written and video, described his “dancing on the edge of heaven,” and were filled with remarkable candor and transparency. People who did not even know him were inspired by his entries, written straight from the heart.

For the first three years of his Agros board tenure, Don was an irregular participant. His job as Senior Vice President for Research & Development at Starbucks consumed his time and thinking. In the fall of 1998 he decided to go on a University Presbyterian Church service team trip to an Agros project in Guatemala, thinking he would then resign from the Agros board after the trip. But his encounter with the rural poor both broke and captivated his heart, and he resigned instead a year later from Starbucks, and began to pour his efforts into Agros.

In 2000 he agreed to assume a co-chairman role with me. I cannot say enough about what a great partner he became to me, as we divided up the responsibilities of the chairman’s position. He preferred the “inside” chores of helping our President, Greg Rake, build the organization’s infrastructure, capacity, professionalism and accountability, and gladly left the more “public” aspects of the chairmanship to me. We had complete trust and confidence in one another, and for six years we traveled together and communicated almost daily by phone, email, text message or face-to-face times about Agros and a number of other business, non-profit, and community ventures. Aside from my law firm, there was little I was involved in of any significance that Don was not part of in an integral way.

Before the organization was able to hire a top-flight CFO like Jean Ingebritsen, Don oversaw the design and implementation of budgeting and financial tracking systems that were light years ahead of legacy systems the organization used when its budget hovered around $65,000 per year.

He was always willing to travel on short notice. Our national staff and board members in the various countries with Agros villages came to love and respect “don Don” for his analytical mind and his love for the poor.

What a man - scientist, artist, businessman, follower of Jesus and friend of the poor. He was blessed with a top-flight mind early, and a burning compassion for the poor later. Those of us privileged to know him have been deeply touched by a life well lived, and capped by a magnificent finish.

Don Valencia, co-chairman of Agros from 2000 – 2007 died on December 8, 2007 after a valiant 15-month battle against cancer.

Agros will be honoring Don in various ways, including a written tribute that will be included in this Agros blog. In the meantime, please refer to Don Valencia’s blog site at www.donvalencia.com for details on his memorial service.

Our deepest respect, love, and prayers go out to Don’s family.

UPDATE: The Valencia family has graciously established a Don Valencia Memorial Fund here at Agros, to honor Don’s deep commitment to serving the poor. If you wish to make a contribution in Don’s honor, you can:

• Make a donation online by clicking here. Please specify that this is in honor of Don Valencia.
• You can call the office direct, at 206-528-1066.

We are excited to announce the first ever Agros International Alternative Gift Catalog!

This catalog offers you a way to honor family, friends or colleagues year round and help rural poor families in Central America and Mexico break out of the cycle of poverty – one seed, one life, one village at a time.

An acre of land, a family health package, or even a can of worms — the gifts in this catalog represent the key elements that go into a village development project, enabling families to work their way out of poverty.

I invite you to take the time to visit the catalog at http://oneseed.agros.org and honor those you love by making a purchase to provide hope and opportunity to families working to lift themselves out of poverty.

Where do you go to “connect”? Do you network in your neighborhood, church, school or online? Who is your community?

Last Saturday night for just a few hours the “Agros Family” connected at Tierras de Vida, held at Seattle Pacific University. It was a time for sharing with friends and family what happens through Agros. It wasn’t about the food, it wasn’t about the displays, it wasn’t about the eloquence of the speakers… it was about the relationships that are formed and that continue to be nurtured through the special relationship with Agros and the people served in Central America and Mexico.

More than one third of the 350 people at the event were new to Agros. This was their first experience. We all heard the Agros story from Skip, the founder. We listened to Libby Boatwright paint a picture of the squalor of people in need in Honduras… a people of incredible integrity who want what most people want - a way to earn a living and provide for their children.

We heard from Mario Gaitán, Executive Director of Nicaragua, explain how the Agros model works — from land purchase to community development to passing on the blessing to other communities.

Three short videos, shown after each speaker, provided a real look at life before Agros, and at what happens in the process as communities move from despair to dreams realized.

Tim Dearborn from World Vision, the keynote speaker, painted incredible word pictures by sharing with us stories of people he had recently met in Nicaragua on an Agros vision trip. These are people who are waiting on Agros to provide a different kind of tomorrow, one changed from despair to hope.

Tim challenged us to consider that we, in that room, were much like a traffic cop. We had the power to metaphorically hold up one hand and say NO to despair, and with the other hand to say YES to hope. Tim invited us to challenge the despair of the many families waiting to begin a new life, and to say yes to their dreams.

On Saturday night the group at Tierras de Vida responded with generous donations of more than $350,000 — far exceeding our goal for the evening.

All of this so that we can continue to connect with the message that even though despair is so prevalent and powerful in the lives of many… it is hope, combined with the will to work toward your dreams, that is far more powerful. This message, and the people who are willing to put resources and will behind this message, all came together last Saturday… connecting us here in Seattle and parts around the US, and even more profoundly — connecting us with families in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, México and Guatemala.

So thank you for connecting in a real and powerful way. Thank you for connecting to the Agros family both here and there.

See you next year!

To see photos from the event, click “rest of this entry” below

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re excited to announce that Tierras de Vida is now officially SOLD OUT. We want to acknowledge the interest and desire of so many who want to be a part of this years event — thank you all. For those who will not be able to make it this year please know that Tierras de Vida 2008 will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at Pickering Farm in Issaquah.

If you would like to be placed on a waiting list for this upcoming Nov. 3rd event, please contact dough@agros.org, or call the Agros International office at 206.528.1066.

It is an exciting time here at Agros — our Board of Directors just approved two new village projects! It is incredible to think of the opportunities that are now unfolding for these families!

Village #32 is “La Providencia” in the Barillas region of Guatemala.
This will be a village of 100 Kanjobal (a Mayan indigenous group) families that will be moving onto a 552 acre piece of land we will be purchasing in the next couple of weeks. The land already has coffee, cardamom and sugarcane crops on it, so the families will have the benefit of these already established sources of income. They will also begin working on building their homes and other infrastructure, and then other economic activities like growing tomatoes and sweet peppers and raising chickens to sell. These families come from the neighboring areas of this land we will buy, many of them living on land that isn’t theirs and forced to work for other farmers for a low daily wage. The adults have little education, but a great desire to work hard to provide opportunities for their children that they never had.

Village #33 is “Nueva Palestina” in Chiapas, Mexico.
This group of 39 Tsotsil (another Mayan indigenous group) families already lives on an ejido, which is land given to them by the Mexican government to live on through land reform years ago. Since the land isn’t the best quality though, and they lack sufficient water to farm it successfully, they are forced to go work on neighboring farms or even farther away to get a low daily wage. Agros Mexico will be focusing on helping them get water for irrigation to parts of their land, improve soil quality, and then begin production on their own land with black beans and sweet peppers among other crops. They will also be providing training for the families on their handicraft and embroidery projects they already do to improve quality and find access to sustainable markets.

By now many of you on our mailing list will have received an invitation to Tierras de Vida 2007 (TdV). Below is a brief interview with Doug Haley, the Agros Resource Development Associate in charge of making the event happen this year. The event is open to all, so please come - and bring a friend!

What is Tierras de Vida?

“Tierras de Vida” is Spanish for “Lands of Life”. The event is Agros’ yearly fundraising event, and the theme this year is “Challenge Despair — Bring Dreams to Life”. This year we hope to bring together and inspire upwards of 350 people by the life-changing work Agros is doing in Central America and Mexico. Through words, photos, music, and video — we will connect you to the hearts of the extraordinary people we serve. Guests will get a sense of the need that exists in these countries, and they will hear what Agros is doing to meet that need. I guarantee you, people will come away from this event deeply inspired!

What will people experience at TdV this year?

This years event will include great food, music, colorful settings, drama, a new video, and speakers from both the Northwest and Nicaragua. Our founder, Skip Li, will emcee the evening. Tim Dearborn, from World Vision, will be our keynote speaker. Other speakers include Libby Boatwright from Lake Grove Presbyterian Church in Oregon, and Mario Gaitan, our Country Director in Nicaragua.

Why is this event important to Agros?

Not only are the funds raised at this event essential in helping us break the cycle of poverty in Central America and Mexico, we also want people to hear and see the joy of transformed lives. The stories of the people in Agros villages are simply incredible, and we want people to hear them and be inspired!

Who is coming?

Everyone is invited! This is a perfect setting for those who already know about Agros as well as those who are curious and want an introduction to our work. So please invite your friends and come join us for a fun night!

When and where is it?

TdV is being held in Upper Gwinn Commons at Seattle Pacific University on Saturday, November 3, 2007. There will be a reception at 6:00 with dinner, and the program begins at 7:00. The address is 3310 6TH Ave West, Seattle. Click here for a map.

How can I get tickets?

You can order tickets in three ways. You can order online at Brown Paper Tickets, or by calling the Agros office at 206-528-1066, or by emailing Doug Haley at dough@agros.org. Tickets are $50 and include both dinner and the reception.

Anything else?

Imagine if you can what it would be like to live life in crushing poverty, with no hope for anything different. Can you imagine living without dreams or hope? Worse yet, can you imagine someone who has lived in poverty for so long that they have lost the ability to dream?

The work we do at Agros allows rural poor families to not only dream, but to actually work to make those dreams come true. We are seeing this unfold in over 6,000 lives throughout five countries. Come see how you can be part of “Challenging Despair and Bringing Dreams to Life“!

Click here for more.

Brisas del Volcán receives certification as a Farmer’s Business Association

On the second half of my visit to El Salvador and Honduras last September, I had the opportunity to attend a special ceremony in the Agros village of Brisas del Volcán in Honduras. Just as this village is completing its first year of working with Agros, they received a legal document from the Honduran government certifying that they are registered as an “Empresa Asociativa Campesina Agroforesteria”, or a Farmer’s Business Association. This means that the families of Brisas are now legally recognized as an association that can work together, sell their products, and do legal transactions to support their business. Working together in the production of their land enables them to increase their income generation to better provide for their families, all with the support of the government and other entities.

The highlights of the day -besides the delicious enchiladas they served for lunch- were the pride on the faces of the families of Brisas del Volcán, and the presence of all the other organizations that are supporting their work in this community. There were representatives from the Secretary of Agriculture, the local mayor, the national coffee association, and the local organic coffee growers association. The representative from the National Agricultural Institute also attended the ceremony to present them with their legal document as a Farmer’s Business Association.

Probably most importantly though, was the support of members from the other Agros village Nuevo Amanecer, as well as members of a new potential Agros community who attended the event to witness and to encourage themselves in their own work towards forming a legally recognized entity, that will empower them with their production and income generation to support their families.

Other updates from Honduras:

Brisas del Volcán -The families are busy preparing their coffee plants to harvest, as well as getting ready to transplant 15,000 new coffee plants to continue the regeneration of the coffee production. They are also working with 17 cattle, raising corn and beans for food security, and beginning a new plantain project. They also recently received training in raising fish, pigs, and hens.

Nuevo Amanecer-The families are busy harvesting a bumper corn crop, of which they will sell part and have plenty of food for their families. They also had a successful bean crop and are now raising certified bean seeds through a Honduran government program. They are experimenting with a local plant, Rosa de Jamaica, which is used for making a special drink and has a large demand in the market. They have planted 1,500 plants and are hoping for success with this new crop. They are also preparing for a cattle project and a plantain project.

Mario Gaitán, executive director of Agros Nicaragua, reports on the actions taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Felix:

“Because of the devastating consequences of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua, Agros created a special fund to meet the basic needs of the families impacted by the hurricane. Here is what is being done in each affected Agros Nicaragua village:

Norwich
We’ve been working hard to revitalize the production of sorghum that was affected by flooding. We’ve hired a doctor to provide health care to families in the village, giving special priority to children and women. We’ve also been able to acquire preventive medicines for the villagers to complete a community first aid post, which will be used to treat common illnesses such as flu, fever, and dengue.

Agros Nicaragua also purchased abate, a substance used to disinfect water by killing the parasites that later become mosquitoes that transmit dengue. The families are not only prepared to fight common illnesses during this season, but also are better prepared to prevent health problems in the future.

San José
In the Agros Village San José, we’ve purchased 20qq of bean seeds in order to replenish the food supplies for 28 families. The Nicaraguan team is also providing support with additional agricultural supplies and building materials for the construction of fertilizer latrines. A doctor was hired to provide post-hurricane health care for all 28 families.

El Edén
Agricultural supplies have been purchased to help replenish food supplies for all 27 families. Basic grains will be planted, with harvest targeted for the second crop of the year. 3.4 acres of Maracuya will also be replanted.

As a final note, I would personally like to thank all of the families in the US who have donated funds to support these families in Nicaragua. These resources are an abundant blessing in this difficult season.

The families in Agros Nicaragua villages are actually in good spirits, and are very hopeful in spite of the circumstances.

Greetings to all,
Mario Gaitán
Executive Director, Agros Nicaragua”

First and foremost, thank you for your prayers for the families affected by Hurricane Felix. We are all grateful that the damages suffered do not include the loss of any lives in Agros villages. However, there are significant damages that have occurred that will affect hundreds of families over the next year. Many of the families we serve are now facing the coming year with the potential for disease, hunger, and lost income.

We cannot let these families suffer alone, and we need your help.

Specifically, the early damage reports from the field show that:

• Basic food crops in many villages have been either partially or completely destroyed.
• Many families are suffering from respiratory disease and need medical attention — local clinics are over capacity and do not have enough medicine or human resources to help.
• The latrines have entirely collapsed in the village of San Jose, which could lead to a health epidemic if not repaired soon.
• Heavy rains have caused significant damage to income-producing crops as well, including the coffee crops in some of our newer villages.
• Many of the roads leading to villages in El Salvador have been damaged and will need repair.

For most of these families, damaged crops mean the devastating loss of an entire year’s worth of work, income, and for many the loss of food supplies for the coming year. In addition to coordinating repairs, medical assistance, and the replanting of crops, Mario Gaitan (Agros Nicaragua Exec Director) estimates that it is also necessary to provide emergency food rations throughout the coming months.

$25,000 is needed immediately to provide the necessary support to help these families rebuild and replant. Please donate today to help these families in the rebuilding process.

Thank You,

Greg Rake
President, Agros International

Here is an update from Laurie Werner, Agros International Director of Program:

“I just spoke with the Nicaragua office and since the hurricane is projected to hit the coast and then travel to Honduras, they aren’t expecting significant impact in Nicaragua. They may, however, experience torrential rains in the region where the Agros village ‘Norwich‘ is located. The field staff are all out working in the communities as normal.

I also spoke with Victor (the Agros Executive Director in Honduras) and he said that they are in constant contact with the villages and have everyone working hard to harvest and store their beans before the hurricane can cause any damage. At this point, if the hurricane stays on track they only expect heavy rains. The hope is that the Hurricane will lose speed and velocity as it hits land and will pass through quickly with minimal damage.”

The following is a story written by Tania, our Human Development Coordinator in El Salvador.
“Huracán Mitch” in Tenango, El Salvador

Three guitars and one bass, all of them crafted by Viviano, come alive in the hands of their skilled players. Setting up the beat, “The Hurricanes” begin the show.

The band members, Angel, José Luis, Viviano and Arturo, they all share an immense love for the land, the community, and music. A few years ago they decided to put together this band in San Diego Tenango, Cuscatlan.

“We wanted to start this band because we felt that it was important for the community to welcome our friends from overseas, to participate in the parties and, who knows, to become known abroad and maybe to be famous one day!” comments José Luis, featuring a big smile while proudly telling the origins of his band.

The name “Hurricanes” came up as a joke to make reference to the enthusiasm and excitement that this band inspires in the crowd when they play their songs, mostly northern “corridos” and worship songs, or “coritos” as they are called in Central and South America.

Recently, an Agros “Journey With a Village” team from University Presbyterian Church (UPC) in Seattle visited the community to share, support, and work alongside the families in the village.

As part of the welcoming celebration, The Hurricanes received the UPC volunteers with cheerful songs, to show the gratitude of the community towards their new visitors. Soon after the volunteers entered the celebration, one of their members, Mitchell or “Mitch”, grabbed his own guitar and without saying a word got up on the stage and started playing along with the band trying to follow the chords.

From that moment on, and during the whole stay of the UPC serving team, The Hurricanes had a fifth member, and among the jokes and laughs from the community, they were re-named as “Hurricane Mitch”.

The experience of musical exchange and integration was enriching for the band as well as for the volunteers, and demonstrated in a very simple and compelling way that no matter language, age, or social condition, we all can share a moment of communion and receive more than what we give away - a theme that continues to resonate in so many ways in all of our Agros villages.