SHI November Email Update

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Only with the Tools to
Get the Job Done

Grafting Citrus At SHI our most valuable resource is our local staff. These men and women are some of the best at what they do. To date, our extensionists have provided technical training and support to more than 1,000 farming families in Central America. We are committed to giving our staff fair wages, benefits and the support they need to do their work. We try to provide everything they need, but sometimes there just isn't enough to go around.

We are working with more families than ever in rural Panama and our Lead Extensionist, Luis Escalante, just can't keep up. Until a few months ago, Luis depended on his own car to transport supplies like seeds, chicken wire and lumber to the work areas. Since then, his car (more of a relic than a working vehicle) stopped running for the last time.

Despite this serious challenge, Luis has pushed forward, walking long distances and taking public transportation to bring families and his extension agents their tools. The long hours he now spends in transit mean less time he is able to spend with the families who need his help right away. We are turning to you, our friends, our supporters to pitch in and get SHI-Panama a pickup truck so he can do his work.

Chicken Tractor Construction We know that everyone likes to hear that their donation is being used to reforest an acre, feed a child fresh vegetables or teach women how to start their own businesses. These tangible results are important, but to get the job done - to bring about a real change in people's lives and restore the environment - we need to come up with the funds to provide the logistical support our staff needs. While knowing that your donation went towards buying a truck may not at first pull at your heart strings, the less time our extension agents spend hauling supplies means more gardens, more trees and more families in the SHI program!

Luis and the SHI Panama program need a truck TODAY. Help us get SHI's most valuable resource, our extension workers, to the families who need them most. A reliable truck in Panama will cost approximately $12,500. If 500 of our friends each chip in $25 today we'll have enough to make sure that the SHI staff in Panama have the means to continue their work and reach even more families in need. There are just over 1,000 of you who receive email updates from SHI. We truly are counting on each of you. Of course a donation of any amount is greatly appreciated.

Chicken Tractor Construction We hope you've noticed that most of our email updates are just that: program updates and not an appeal for more funds, but in this case we hope you will understand. You can contribute to the Panama Truck Fund by clicking on the Donate Now button below and be sure to put "Pickup Fund" in the comments. This fund needs to be separate from any regular donation you make at this time of year. Again, we thank you for your ongoing support. It means a lot to the environment and the people we work with.

Luis Escalante Meet Luis:
I have worked for twenty years in agriculture... For many years I worked in areas where there was heavy pesticide use, and then began to see the damage this was causing not just to the environment, but to human beings as well. This inspired me to change how I worked, and led to my spending the last five years in reforestation efforts in the Darien and Chagres park districts of my country. I learned about the work of SHI while in Chagres, and applied to work for them when an opening arose. I am very thankful that this opportunity has come my way to work for and with the poor of Panama, but also work on preservation of the natural world. I have come to believe in the words of the great Indian leader Seattle, who said that "Every little bit of this land is sacred to my people," and this vision guides me in my work with Sustainable Harvest International. Click here to meet the rest of the SHI Panama Team.

SHI Participants and Staff in Honduras with Corn

New Staff Team up to Help Families in Need

Rigoberto Castro and Wilmer Machado are bringing training and support to families in the rural District of Yoro, Honduras. Thanks to their efforts and financial support from A.C.T.S., training workshops are being offered in techniques such as community environmental management, sustainable and organic agriculture, small business management and family nutrition. They have also helped families establish a rural bank and community loan fund program in the village of El Rosario which has doubled its capital in the past 12 months! Click here to read more about Rigoberto, Wilmer and the rest of the SHI Honduras Team.

Looking for a Special Gift?

Young Farmer Give a Gift of Hope to your special someone this year. There's no better way to show them you care!
Click here to order a Gift of Hope Card and see other gift ideas at our online store.

Greg and Mercedes in the Field

SHI Program Directors, Greg Bowles and Mercedes Alvarez, travel to Panama and Nicaragua this month to meet with participant families and staff. Despite environmental, economic and political challenges in both countries, they report strong results from the families working with SHI including expanding work with new communities and programs in reforestation, irrigation, family gardens and micro enterprise. Stay tuned for news from their trip!

Click here to learn about SHI Events in Your Area

Click here to learn about upcoming Smaller World Service Trips

Click Here to Read Testimonials from SHI Participants

Sustainable Harvest International • 779 North Bend Rd. Surry, ME 04684 • 207.669.8254 (phone) • 866.683.6594 (toll free) • 207.669.8255 (fax) • shi@sustainableharvest.org • www.sustainableharvest.org