We Grow Strong Together:

Growing Food & Building Economies

Thechallenge:AccordingtotheUnitedNations2015ReportonIndigenous
Peoples,81.7%ofindigenousfamiliesinChiapasliveinextremepovertyonless
than$2aday.Thismeansthatmostfamiliesdonotknowwheretheywillgettheir
nextmeal.Mostchildrengotobedhungryandnearly45%ofchildrenunder5
showtheharmfulphysicaleffectsofmalnutrition.

Whilesomefoodsupplementprogramsmaycontributetoimmediateincreasesin
childrenshealth,inthelongtermtheyhaveshowntobeexpensiveandincrease
dependenceonpreparedorpurchasedfood.

Ourresponse:TheTogetherWeGrowStrongerProgramtacklestherootofthe
problembyfocusingonthefundamentalhumanneedforfoodsovereignty.While
mostindigenousfamiliesinChiapashavesomefarmableland,soilsaregenerally
poorandunderutlized.TheProgramequipswomenandfamilieswithknowledge
andmaterialstheyneedtogrowmorefoodefficientlyandsustainablyonland
theyhave.

Bysourcingtheirfoodlocallyandecologically,familiesincreasethe
amountoffoodavailabletothemaswellastheirfoodindependenceor
sovereignty.Familiesalsolearntoleveragethisnewindependence,overcoming
theirrelianceonpreparedfoodsandincreasingtheireconomicstabilitythrough
productiveeconomicinitiatives.
Howyoucanmakeadifference:

1.Yourgiftincreaseslongtermfoodsovereigntyby
increasingdirectaccesstostrong,sustainablelocalfood
systems.

Indigenouswomenandfamilieslearnagroecological
techniquestogrowproduceandraisebarnyardanimalsin
backyardgardens.Thisbuildsonexistingresourcestoprovide
alocal,predictablesourceofnutritiousfood.

2.Yourgiftstimulateslocaleconomicactivitiesthatbenefit
indigenouswomenandfamilies.Agroecologicalfarming
increasescropyieldsandcreatesanopportunityforindigenous
womenandfamiliestoearnmoneybysellingextraproduce.

OurProgramworkswithparticipantstoorganizelocalmarkets
whereindigenouswomenandfamiliescanselltheirgoods
withouthightransportationcostsandlowwholesaleprices
requiredtosellinregionalmarkets.

3.Yourgiftboostseconomicstabilitybyorganizingsavings
andcreditcooperatives.Tohelpwomenbuildsavingsto
cushiontheirfamiliesagainstunexpectedexpensesand
seasonalshortages,theProgramorganizessavingsandcredit
cooperatives.

Memberspoolandadministerfunds,offeringloanstoeach
otheratlowinterestratestopayforthingssuchasschoolfees,
medicalexpenses,suppliesandevenfoodbetweenharvests.
Somebegintheirownkitchenbusinesses,usuallyinsmall
groups.Forexample,theymaypooltheirfundstopurchase
ingredientstobakebreadthattheythensellortopurchase
chickenstoselleggs.Membersevensetlimitsonwhen
memberscanwithdrawtheirmoneytoencouragesavingsand
responsiblemoneymanagement.

Whyyourdonationmatters:OneEqualHeartexpandsand
deepenstheimpactofyourgiftsothatcommunitiesdevelop
skillstheyneedtosolvetheirowndevelopmentchallenges.By
investingincommunityeducationandleadershiptraining,
youhelpindigenouscommunitiesfeedthemselvesfor
generations.
Ourworktopromoteecologicalfarmingisoneofoursuccessstories.Webeganin
2008bytrainingagroupof18communityleaders.Whentheyreportedlargeryieldsand
morediversefoodsourcesintheirhomesandcommunitiesafterimplementingthe
techniquestheylearned,weexpandedtheprogramtoincludea2yearspecialized
curriculum.Tseltalcommunitiesnowenjoy160trainedagroecologypromoterswhoserve
aslocaladvisors.Inaddition,OneEqualHeartinvestedina2yearteachertrainerprogram.
26graduatesofthatprogramnowleadagroecologycoursesintentrainingcentersaround
theregionwithover200multigenerationalstudents.Graduatesofthevillagetraining
centerswillservetheirvillagesasagroecologypromoters,impactingover5,000people.

OneEqualHeartfocusesonpreparingandeducatingleaders,especiallyindigenous
women,togeneratelonglastingchangesthatimprovethequalityoflifewithintheir
communities.

Studiesshowthatwhenwomenparticipateindevelopmentprojects,growthismorerapid,
moreinclusive,andmoresustainable.

Igrewupbelievingthatasawoman,Icouldnotcontributeanythingofvaluetomy
community.ButwhenIenrolledintheagroecologyprogram,somethinginsideme
begantogrow.NowIteachagroecologyandserveastreasurerofourvillagesavings
andcreditcooperative.DoraRobledo,TseltalAgroecologyPromoter