Agros Blog

I was recently able to spend time in San Jose — one of our newest Agros villages located in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua. It was an incredible experience. The last time I was with these families (just over a year ago) they were landless and living on approx $2 per family per day. This averages out to about $.25 a day per person. They were growing single-season subsistence crops on unproductive, rented land. With no irrigation and poor housing structures they were at the mercy of unpredictable weather. They were struggling with hunger, health problems, lack of access to clean water, no work or food security, and a pervasive sense of despair.

Today — one year after starting this new Agros village — these same families invited us to a banquet… a feast of chicken, corn, and other food produced on their Agros farm. It was a feast!

Here is what they’ve accomplished over the last year:

• Temporary houses (with latrines) have been built
• An irrigation system with piped water has been established
• The families are planting 8 different crops year-round during three unique growing seasons
• Proceeds from a recent tomato harvest have been invested into cattle worth more than $6,000
• They are storing the surplus of recent corn production, waiting until the prices go up so that they can make additional profit
• 10,000 coffee plant seedlings will soon be planted in order to increase coffee production
• They took out an additional loan from Agros and built a coffee processing machine and a pump
• Everyone is involved in community development activities, the women are actively involved in leadership, and children now have access to both preschool and elementary school

WoW!!!! Talk about impressive! And they did all of this while also being impacted by Hurricane Felix, which hit in September of 2007. I was (and am) blown away. What a story!!!

These families are representative of hard-working Agros families across Central America and Mexico. They are a great example of how the Agros model enables the poor to develop assets, create security, and slowly but surely work their way out of poverty.

This is Land, Hope, and Life at work! Here are a few photos from this incredible Agros village:

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.

The full participation and involvement of the people we serve is fundamental to the mission of Agros. Paola, a 19-year-old woman from Cajixay, Guatemala, has worked as an Agros promoter since 2006. Her passion to improve the lives of the poor has helped many women in Guatemala. She is currently studying Social Work at the University of Santa Cruz.

“Agros began to work with Cajixay in 2002, and I have seen many changes since then, both in the lives of my family and in the whole community. My family has its own house for the first time!”

In November 2006, Agros offered Paola a job as a promoter of the textiles and weaving project. “I teach women how to improve their products and how to sell them more effectively. I work with all the Agros villages in the area, including Cajixay. It is a privilege to help the women in my own community. I am even teaching my mother!”

With the money that she earns, Paola pays for her studies at the university. “I work Monday through Friday for Agros, and I attend classes on Saturdays in Santa Cruz del Quiché. Saturdays are long days; I leave my house at 4 in the morning and return at about 10 at night, but it is worth the effort.”

Paola is studying social work, and her dream is to continue helping the people in her community and in all of Guatemala. “I love my work!” she says.

Paola’s deep conviction to help the poor are reflected in these words, “I want to urge all you who read this - fight to improve your lives. And if you don’t have your own struggles, fight to improve other people’s lives.”

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.

The story of Agros is written by people who dare to overcome their limitations with hope and hard work.  These are people who, when given encouragement and opportunity, stand up with strength and hope that their dreams can be fulfilled even after poverty has worn their hearts away. 

This is the story of Mario, a leader of the Agros village Brisas del Volcán in Honduras.

For most of his life Mario rented land to grow corn and beans to feed his family. Making less than three dollars a day, he struggled to provide for all their needs. “I was constantly in debt at the local market, so any money I made during the week was already spent.” Whenever his family ran out of food, Mario would go into the mountains in search of bananas or roots to eat. “We had to make sacrifices because we didn’t have any money.”

One day Rosa, Mario’s wife, heard about Agros and after meeting with the Agros staff, she and Mario began to search land for their community. “We approached landowners, but they didn’t believe that we could afford to buy our own land, so they would chastise us, calling us ‘dirt-eaters,’ and dismiss us.”

But Mario and Rosa would not give up. In 2006, they organized a group of families and started Brisas del Volcán. “We were so happy when we started this village. We began by producing the coffee that was already growing in the fields and then we learned new ways to improve the production of basic grains.”

Agros has also given them financial and technical support for sustainable agriculture. “This is helping us succeed and pay for our land.”

Two years into this journey, Mario’s village is producing organic coffee, raising cattle, and diversifying their crops.

“Living in Brisas del Volcán has transformed our lives. Owning land has improved our relationship with God and with people. I was even able to provide for my daughter’s education, who graduated with a technical degree in management. I have food to eat, I’ve paid off my debts and I have money in my pocket to pay for our everyday needs. I see a whole new realm of possibility for my life, and I realize that I am capable of reaching my goals. Working with Agros has given me hope and a life of opportunity for my family.”

In the 1800’s a K’iche Mayan man left his home in Quetzaltenango in search of a new life.  Don Pablo Itzep Utuy settled in the beautiful region of Ixil, Guatemala in a little village then called Asich.  There the mist clings to the green hills and the soil is rich for planting.  Ten families were living in the village at the time and they welcomed him into their community.

The village of Asich grew, as did the family of Don Pablo. When he passed away, Don Pablo left his portion of the land to his son, Don Nicolás. Don Nicolás continued to live on the land with his family until the year 1981 when the unrest and violence that had been spreading through Guatemala for twenty years finally reached the Ixil.  It was a time of terror for everyone.  Throughout the Ixil over 200,000 men, women, and children were killed in a literal genocide.  Entire villages were destroyed, forcing families into exile and despair.  Don Nicolás, his family, nearby neighbors — they all abandoned their houses and moved away together, hoping for safety in numbers.

Many years of hardship passed before Don Nicolás and those who fled with him were finally able to return to their land.  Upon returning after the war, the land land was given a new name. They called it “San Nicolás” after Don Nicolás himself, and the area became its own village. There was not much to return to, however. Many of the houses had been burned to the ground. Very little was left. They began to rebuild their homes, but huddled them together under order of the Guatemalan military. This was so  the soldiers could keep a close watch on the village families. The military also implemented civilian patrol groups, requiring the men to carry weapons and “protect” the people from guerrilla soldiers and the “rebels” living in the mountains. Life both during and after the war was very hard. The people were poor and resources were scarce.

In the 1990’s the war finally and officially ended and military soldiers relinquished their control over San Nicolás. Little by little the people worked to rebuild their community. In the year 2000 Don Nicolás purchased more land, adding to his family’s holdings.

In 2004 the partnership between Agros and San Nicolás officially began.  Agros purchased a plot of land for cultivation not too far from San Nicolás and the families are  working towards paying for the land — one day they’ll own it outright.  With the help of Agros the people have also learned to diversify their crops. They now plant a variety of fruits and vegetables. This is the third year that San Nicolás is cultivating peas, actually exporting them to other countries.  This pea project enables the families to pay back their land loans, buy cows or other animals, or start up other small businesses.

With Agros’ help the families of San Nicolás have gained access to potable water and have created a running water system, as well as now having efficient cook stoves and and composting latrines.  This all contributes to the communities health and well-being.

Today, Don Nicolás is 88 years old. His dream is to live to see 100, and like his father before him, leave behind a home and legacy for the next generation.  Don Nicolás is a living example of ‘Land, Hope, and Life’ becoming real.

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!

Partnership with Agros means more than loans and projects. At Agros we define poverty as ‘broken relationships’, and for the rural poor you can measure this. Relationships are broken as men and young boys leave their families and work for months in coffee or sugar plantations, or when mothers migrate to other countries seeking jobs… relationships break down for the poor when economic, health, education, environmental, cultural structures all break down.

Our development model is focused on restoring broken relationships, in ways that can be measured. We do this not by offering charity, but by empowering families to work their own way out of poverty. Attitudes and outlooks are transformed as opportunities are offered and families steadily create new realities of hope, organization and participation. Here is how Andrés, from the Agros village ‘Espinal Buenavista’ explains it:

Andrés is an indigenous Tsotsil from Bochil, a municipality of Los Altos in Chiapas, Mexico, and when he moved to the Agros community ‘Espinal Buenavista’ he dedicated himself to working the land and using micro loans (enterprise loans) offered by Agros to raise livestock, particularly pigs.

“Agros has always been honest with us, stating very clearly from the beginning that they are not a charity; they provide us with loans and training.  The truth is they have followed through on this with us.”

Andres and many others in Espinal Buenavista are being given an opportunity to use their skills to help their families escape poverty. Though his community has worked with other organizations, no other NGO or governmental organization has provided the scope of opportunity that Agros has. “We feel a strong, trusting relationship with Agros - with the field staff, directors, and partners. Agros is a flexible organization, the first that has made it easy for us to use long term loans and community organization to improve our lives.”

Andrés concludes, “Our community is now open to building relationships with people outside of Espinal Buenavista - this is new for us. We are united, and everyone participates and enjoys coming together for meetings. In this way, we are organized and the families are truly happy… we are content.”

The Agros Development Model enables entire communities to fundamentally break the cycle of poverty for generations to come. With the support of Agros, a group of families from Aduana Dos, Nicaragua, is writing a new chapter in a history previously marked by poverty and lack of opportunity. The following report was written by field staff in Nicaragua:

The families from Aduana Dos, Nicaragua, have displayed an impressive degree of leadership throughout their plantain project. Management skills, accountability, and decision-making have allowed them to grow higher quality crops. The success and growth is impressive.

During this project the families have demonstrated positivity and an entrepreneurial spirit. Seventy-five percent of the families are marketing their crops allowing them to generate more income than originally projected. The news about their success is spreading throughout the region and as a consequence, neighbor communities have started to grow plantains in their home gardens as well. In all of our countries the Agros model impacts not just the village where the model is implemented, but also in neighboring communities as well.

It is important to note how much the women in the community have been absolutely key in the success of this project. They leave their homes early in the morning to sell and market the products in neighboring villages.

“We are grateful to Agros for the opportunity of being part of this project. We have recovered our self-confidence. We can work our land, and most importantly have food to eat with our children.” - Audelys, Aduana Dos.

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

On June 2nd, 2008, Nathan Hawkins joined Agros as the new Service Team Coordinator. Nathan is originally from Minneapolis and has lived in Mexico, East Tennessee, and most recently New Orleans, where he helped with rebuilding efforts after hurricane Katrina. He met his wife Joy in Tijuana, and together they moved to Seattle on November 2007. We’re truly excited to have Nathan join us.

Quoting the words of Frederick Buechner, Nathan describes his vocational calling as an intersection between “the place where deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Nathan adds, “I truly believe one such intersection for me is this opportunity to serve with Agros. I am so grateful to be joining you. I look forward to developing friendships and serving diligently alongside everyone at Agros and the many partners Agros counts as friends.”

Tara E. Leung will be leaving us on June 13th to pursue a masters program in International Development at Tufts University in Boston. She has worked and served with passion, excellence, and commitment.

Our very best wishes to Tara and a warm welcome to Nathan!

Distress and struggle are circumstances we all face during our lifetime. For some of us this looks like illness, life transition, or the loss of a loved one. For many others, these struggles are related to the uncertainty of having food on the table, a place to work, the loss of home, or the daily impossibility of living with simple dignity because its been stripped away.

Whatever the degree of our struggle, we all can relate to the relief that comes with tangible opportunity to overcome desperation. This is the story of José Ángel and his journey to fulfill his dream.

“We used to live in a community called Pancasan, on a little plot of land that belonged to my mother. However, four siblings plus our wives and children shared this place, so I decided to look for a piece of land where I could settle my family. When I began my search it was hard to find a loan to buy a plot of land. That is how I ran into people who told me about Agros. I thought it was a great opportunity and Agros staff visited me and invited me to a meeting where they explained their development model to us. I thought it was a good process so I signed up for the project. Nine months later, with the support of service teams who visited us from the US, we began building a well for drinking water. It was a beautiful and unforgettable experience.

After the well was finished, we began building our homes. Although a difficult endeavor, it was an extraordinary experience, and we continued persevering, motivated by the hope of finally having a beautiful and decent home!

We moved to our homes in June of 2001, and until this day I cannot fathom that I have a house when I see it. It seems that it is not mine, because even when I always dreamed of a well-built and beautiful house I could not imagine the possibility of owning it because I come from a very difficult economic situation. I am grateful to God -who used Agros - to make the dream of my life come true.

My life has changed, my mindset has been transformed — my situation has been improved. I’m grateful and very hopeful. Thanks be to God, and thanks to Agros!

My name is José Ángel and Modesta is my wife. We have four children and we have a great vision for the future of our community.”

This is from the Agros Office Manager, Kathy Kautzky:

Office Needs:
It’s been several weeks since we moved to our new office in Belltown. Thank you all who have helped us make this space our new home! We are still in need of a few items:

• Coat racks
• Small size bookshelves
• Kitchen cart (our counter-top is limited in space, our floor space is much more)
• Deck furniture (yes, we have a wonderful outside deck space!)
• Plants – (in good condition) indoor, medium to large, easy to care for
• Photo Frames (all sizes!)

If you’d like to donate any of these items please contact Kathy Kautzky at kathyk@agros.org or call 206.528.1066

Volunteer Opportunities:
We are currently in need of a volunteer who can help us at the reception desk answering the phone and greeting our visitors primarily on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

If you are available during those days or at any other time, please contact Kathy Kautzky at kathyk@agros.org or call 206.528.1066

War, poverty, systemic injustice… these are forces that work to steal the dignity and hope of so many. Here at Agros, it is our mission and passion to challenge the hopelessness and despair that exists for so many. This following is a story about a group of families in Mexico striving for land, hope, and life. They have a unique story, and yet nevertheless also represent the thousands upon thousands of families across Central America and Mexico who face the same struggle — people who are skillful, hard working, with hope and faith in abundance… and yet who lack fertile land and tangible opportunities. The following was written by our International Program Assistant, Christina Cummings.

The readiness of the group was felt throughout the room. Anticipation and hope mixed with desperation from previous dead-end after dead-end. The number of women, children and men that traveled to meet together at the end of a hard workday… the posture of each perched forward on the hardwood benches their own hands had constructed… the questions speaking to their hunger for change and fear of yet another false hope… it all spoke loudly of not only their history of marginalization and poverty, but also their desire for dignity and hope.

These twenty-five Guatemalan refugees were naturalized in Mexico after over twenty years of living on the outskirts of society. They gathered to meet with Agros to discuss the needs and hopes of their families. Currently, they are living on land that is entirely too small to support a healthy community and sustainable growth. “We’re going around in circles on this land,” says one woman in the front row. Even so, most have extensive experience in worm-composting, non-traditional crops, livestock, and other skills passed on from their ancestors. They simply do not have the land needed to grow the most basic crops to feed their families.

Racism and neglect are other issues this group faces, highlighted in their 10-year struggle with the Mexican government to connect their community to a local water system. One frustrated man recalls politicians’ visits — where packages of campaign materials were dropped off in their community while obvious, urgent needs are ignored. Abandoned by both the Guatemalan and Mexican governments, they feel like citizens of “not here nor there.”

Despite the struggle, these families have not given up. As part of a network of over 50 neighboring communities, they are united in their vision for a better future and are meeting together regularly to organize their search for land and opportunity.

Agros defines poverty as ‘broken relationships’, and this can be seen in how families are often forced to live apart, with the men forced to work on plantations, or in other parts of the region. One wife and mother, left behind as her husband was forced to look for work elsewhere, shook with emotion, “Here, the women work even when their husbands are gone; we take on the men’s responsibilities. But it scares me to think about what will happen to us if we don’t find land to work.”

At the end of the meeting the families filed out with hope and determination in their eyes. Conversations will continue as the families and Agros staff continue to explore the possibilities of launching a new project together.

Virtually every Agros village starts this way… with conversations, relationship building, and desire. Because Agros is committed to long term transformation, the process takes time. However, after 33 projects in 5 countries, it is clear that a modest investment in these families will reap enormous rewards. Land, agricultural training, relationship… hard work, commitment, faith… the ingredients are there. It simply takes a willingness to challenge despair and hopelessness.

We have a new open position here at Agros. Please feel free to forward this to any interested candidates. The position closes April 14.

Following is an abbreviated version of the opening. You can read the full job description here.

Service Team Coordinator: Primary Description
Coordinate service teams and donor vision trips, including all the logistics and preparations for these trips, in coordination with team leaders in the US, Agros Resource Development staff, and staff in the country offices.

Required skill set:

• Bilingual-Spanish and English, written and spoken
• Be able to agree with and live out the Agros values (click here for more)
• Interpersonal and relational skills
• Demonstrated spreadsheet (Excel) skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Experience working with budgets
• Experience working with logistics
• Experience traveling in Latin America

Supervisor: Service & Education Manager

Please send your CV and a cover letter to International Program Assistant Christina Cummings (christinac@agros.org) by Monday, April 14, 2008. Thank you.

Nueva Palestina, Mexico, was established as an Agros Village in 2007. Here is a story of two community leaders whose initiative has helped an entire community break free from the cycle of poverty.

Sebastián and Margarita have lived in Nueva Palestina, Mexico, for the last thirteen years. Like so many other families in the Chiapas region, they were forced to flee from their home in 1989 due to religious persecution. They lived the next six years as internal refugees, struggling to support their family on day-laborer wages.

As indigenous people without land or a community in which to settle, Sebastián and Margarita suffered from discrimination and marginalization until 1996, when the Mexican government offered land. During this time, Sebastián and Margarita tried to break free from the grip of poverty but the dream of a better life proved elusive.

In 2005, Sebastián heard about Agros from a friend in a neighboring Agros community, San Pedrito, and for two years Sebastián worked with his own community to form a partnership with Agros. Their hard work paid off and now Sebastián and Margarita are serving as leaders in Nueva Palestina, encouraging all to participate in the organizational and development process.

“I’m happy to have helped my community,” says Sebastián, modestly referring to his faithful leadership as the President of the Ejido Commission, a collective of land owners in Mexico. In order for another community member to take on a more significant leadership role, Sebastián has recently stepped aside as president of the Commission. “I am helping my brothers and sisters so that together we can get ahead,” Sebastián says.

Margarita, just as modest as her husband, has also made a major impact on her community’s development. Just a few short months ago no one in Nueva Palestina knew how to embroider the elaborate clothing that is traditional to their heritage. Margarita has led a passionate, organized group to receive sewing workshops from Agros staff, obtain enterprise loans, and to purchase two sewing machines!

The women are currently producing beautiful clothing, eager to learn new designs and improve relationships with new markets.

Margaria and Sebastián both are true servant leaders.

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

First — many of you received our in-house staff newsletter in your email inbox today. This was an unfortunate accident and we sincerely apologize. Like many of you, here at Agros we work hard to diminish SPAM and ensure that only essential email enters our own inboxes, and so we apologize all the more for the mistake! We can assure you that this will not happen again.

Second — Agros is saying good-bye to the U-District and moving to our new office in Belltown on March 15th. You can help us in a number of ways:

Before the move:

• We need people on call who help us move acquired furniture into our new office.
• Do you have a truck available to share? We need volunteers with a large pickup truck or large enclosed vehicle on an “On Call” basis to help get the furniture we are gathering picked up and delivered to the Belltown office.
• We need Boxes and Packing materials.

Day of the move: Saturday, March 15th

We will be organized in three teams, you can be part of one of them:

U. District Team
7:45 am - Food Hospitality
We need a couple of volunteers to bring and set-up a continental-style breakfast for the volunteer crew. This would include items like coffee, bagels, and fruit.

8:00 am - We need strong volunteers at the U District office to load boxes (and some furniture) into the moving truck, and to also help clean up once the office is empty. Your friends/family are welcome to join us.

Belltown Team
10:30 am - We need strong volunteers at the Belltown office around 10:30 am to unload the truck, attend to security doors and elevators, and deliver items to designated offices. Boxes and offices will be labeled in advance.

11:30 am - Food Hospitality
We need a couple volunteers to order and set up food for the volunteer crews at the Belltown office. We need a couple volunteers to clean up the food after lunch.

Finish Team
Sunday, March 16, Noon - 4 pm
We need flexible volunteers who could be available in case we need help with all those loose end items which couldn’t get covered on Saturday. We will only need volunteers if there are last minute needs to make sure Agros is up and running for Monday morning!

If you are able to volunteer for any of the above, please contact Kathy Riper at kathyr@agros.org or 206.528.1066 to let her know what day(s) and time you are available.

Office Needs
We are also looking for Office furniture! We are specifically looking for:

• Desks 5 - 6 feet length (we need several of these…).
• Desk Chairs in good condition.
• Two-shelf book cases.
• Conference Table - modular.
• Kitchen Table to seat 6 (30-36 inch wide).
• Contemporary track lighting.
• Coat racks.
• Plants - indoor, medium to large, easy to care for.
• New Coffee Maker.
• Kitchen cart (our counter-top is limited in space, our floor space is much more).
• Deck furniture.

Our Former Office Space in the University District is Available!
The space is about 2600 square feet. Contact Jean Ingebritsen for details at jeani@agros.org.

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

From my vantage point at 2400 feet, the cloud-shrouded Cordillera Dariense (Nicaragua’s main mountain range) loom verdant, inviting me to dream of times long past when these hills flourished without tracer bullets and land mines wreaking havoc on the hard-working Nicaraguense “cortadores” (coffee plantation harvesters) who’ve lived, worked and died here.

I dream all the more so today — with them — because I’m now looking at these storied hills through their eyes. Eyes of former cortadores-now-turned land-owners!

I’m here at our newest Agros’ village, San José, which in a short 9 months is a veritable paradise in the making. I pause in sheer wonder beneath the hand-hewn trusses of their newest addition, a “beneficio” or coffee processing station, made of 125 lb cut-stone blocks, cement & steel laminate roofing, all hauled up on willing backs from the road far below. The “beneficio” is complete with a large capacity depulper (used to take off the skin of the coffee) and large concrete wash basins in which the depulped-yet-fleshy beans soak for a day. From here the coffee beans “escape” the basins via 4″ pvc outlets into the rinsing trough, where they are paddled to knock off any remainder of the flesh before being put onto sorting/drying frames. The tiny beans are then laid out to sun-dry for a month.

Beaming with pride, bustling to show us their first fruits from this their first harvest from their own land, both Petronilio & Armando, San Jose’s President & Vice President, flashed their ear-to-ear grins, nodding their heads in agreement as we praised their accomplishment!

But that was only the beginning for me on this first visit to San Jose, our most remote community to date in Nicaragua. Inviting me and two potential Agros donors to clamber across flourishing fields of corn, viewing vistas of acre upon acres of beans, and then descending solo down steep & slippery slopes to see Armando’s charge: a first-ever-for-them dedicated plot (1.25mz or 2 acres) of tomatoes projected to yield over $9000 in only 4 months time. The proceeds will be divided among all 22 families.

This, coupled with their recent coffee harvest and the more than 100,000 lbs of corn they’ve harvested, bodes well for an altogether unprecedented first year’s income that will average close to $1500/family. This is more than 5 times their previous best annual incomes.

What does it take to turn disappointments into dreams? Disasters into “diamonds”?

It takes trust… humility… gratitude. It takes patience, and an ability to work hard. It also takes partnership. Transformation is a community process, where the strong help the weak and the weak become strong to help those who are next.

The next day we met the families of El Naranjo — families who are waiting for Agros to raise the needed funds to purchase the land and help them move forward. Many of the families forsook a days wages to meet with us for an update on when they might be able to be roll up their sleeves to begin to work their own land, joining the ranks of the like in San Jose.

We’re at 80% of the funding needed, missing now only $150,000 for the balance of the land. Let us know if you’d like to help us help them. They’re ready, eager, willing and waiting.

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.

“Every sacrifice has its rewards…” says Felipe as he tells the story of how he came to realize the dream of owning a home for his family and improving their lives.

Felipe’s journey began in 1998, when he moved his family to Costa Rica seeking to obtain a job that would allow them to earn enough money to own a house. However, because he was from Nicaragua he was treated like a foreigner in a strange land, and he was subjected to unfair wages and constant discrimination.

As Felipe recalls, “They treated us very badly; we would not receive a fair salary because we didn’t have the appropriate work permits. I went to Costa Rica with great hope, asking for nothing more than an opportunity to work and go back to my homeland and to my family having something to offer; yet I went back with empty hands… I was sad, but I said to myself — Felipe, do not give up on your dreams.”

Once he was back in Nicaragua, Felipe heard about the possibility of joining the new Agros village development project in San Marcos de Belén. This was his hope and dream! To be given the opportunity to work for his own land.

Felipe shares, “I’ve always prayed with my wife and kids, and we would ask to the Lord not to forget us. I have always been faithful and I knew that with hard work and faith in God, we’d one day get a house - and land.

When we started getting organized for the new village. I prayed to the Lord and said ‘I will fight hard for this opportunity, but you are the one who has the last word on this’, because I saw that there were so many families in need…

I had to walk 25 miles back and forward to San Marcos de Belén, because I didn’t have the money to pay for the bus; my income was hardly enough to provide food for my children. It was a big sacrifice - it took me 7 hours to walk to the first Agros meetings; It was hard, I was assaulted a few times because it was dark by the time we were done with the meetings. I used to walk on dark roads without having eaten, because I seldom had food to eat, I’d first make sure that my wife and kids would have enough to eat. My wife, she always supported me, and of the little food we had, she would always wait for me until I came home late at night with food she cooked or saved from her own plate. But these hardships did not stop me and now that I look back, I thank God for the strength he gave me…

Now I remember all of that like beautiful memories, because those difficulties helped me accomplish what we have now. Before I had just hope, eagerness to struggle, and my family, but also immense poverty, suffering, and a hard life. Now I have my family living happily in their own home, I have land to work, and in a few years, I’ll be able to pay off the land. Now I have a community that supports me; I have neighbors and I live among friends. I’m grateful to Agros because now I can read, I know how to sign my name, maybe not very well, but I’ll get better at writing in the same way my life has gotten better. This is all a blessing from God”.

Here is a nice mention of Agros in “The Daily”, the local student newspaper at UW. Here is a blurb, and a link:

Creative charities worth your cash
By Jackson Rohrbaugh
January 29, 2008

“I saw a pamphlet for a non-profit organization called Agros the other day on my kitchen table. I paged through it and was quickly riveted by the unique plan they had thought up to bring change and development to developing countries. In fact, it’s one of the more interesting and practical charities I’ve ever heard of.

With Agros, a group of investors from an affluent area like ours can help a community in Latin America by loaning them money to purchase land. Then, Agros trains the families in sustainable farming techniques and animal husbandry. Its focus is to make the communities self-sufficient, to the point where they can pay back Agros’ loans over time.

This is exceedingly visionary, because instead of dumping money on disenfranchised peoples, they are being taught both valuable skills and smart financial management. It’s essentially a way to impart wisdom and aid that’s long-lasting. It creates a legacy of security and change in places with a deficit of both….” Read more here.