Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Agricultural Garden has a NAME!

Friends and Family,
It has been five weeks since we planted BERRO, a nutritive, medicinal plant in our Agro-sostenible Garden, about three miles from our clinic. We are excited to see the success and we will be presenting the nutritive herb, Berro, as part of celebration of WORLD DAY OF HUNGER on October 16th! We will also use the first harvest in our Nutrition class for malnourished children during the monthly nutrition class. The mothers will be taught a few recipes of Berro, and given some of this nutritious herb to take home. We will in the future be providing them class on planting vegetables and providing seedling to them.

Yesterday the Agricultural team met to discuss plans to now plant vegetables in the extra space on the mission property, as a demonstrative garden. There is talk of potatoes, beans, celery, radishes, amaranta, and yucca. These are all vegetables grown in the mayan culture and sold in our Sunday market; most of our population would not enjoy these nutritive foods for financial reasons.

The agricultural team also decided on a name for our garden in the Mayan Village of Xejuyup, "GARDEN, MARIA IXCHEL". MARIA IXCHEL is the MAYAN GODDESS of PLANTS.

We also harvested our small patch of corn cobs that we planted a few months ago and we will celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY OF GUATEMALA, which is September 15th, with a hot drink of ATOLE DE ELOTE, a cultural drink from corn, for the Mayan population, with the workers today.

From all of us in the Clinica Maxena, our greetings and thanks for your financial support, which makes possible our work in serving the Poor, in this region of the world!
Attatched is our Garden "MARIA IXCHEL" and the Herb BERRO!