Dulce

Dulce is a 26-year-old single mother of a 2-year-old girl with whom she lives together with Dulce’s mother. Dulce is a student of the Family Orchards program in Barranco Bayo, Nicaragua.

Dulce’s focus for earning a living is a garden. Like other neighbours, hurricanes Eta and Iota damaged their homes and some species of her garden. She managed not only to successfully rebuild the garden but improve it. She also lent a hand to others less fortunate than her.

Dulce benefited from the Family Orchards program, taking what she learned and combining it with her commitment to her garden and to help her neighbours.

Dulce says: “The teaching they give us has helped me and my neighbours a lot. There is nothing better than eating what we grow while we save money and improve our nutrition. I hope to be able not only use my garden produce for my family but to sell what I raise to others in my community.”

Rosario

Rosario, a 66-year-old widow, is another student of the Family Orchards program in Marlon Alvarado, Nicaragua. She lives from the sale of animal feed as well as breeding and selling pigs. She supports her children and grandchildren, also involving them in her farming.

She organizes other program participants, even offering her porch for their weekly training.

She says: “I appreciate this program because it taught us to have better feed by using our existing knowledge and new learnings. At the cooking workshop, we even learned to produce low-cost recipes with what we have around us.”