This year, Sowing Opportunities took a bold step. We introduced a greenhouse agriculture curriculum to a second school – the regional Fray School – enabling us to reach students from about 350 additional households in Guatemala’s remote Eastern Alta Verapaz region.
The results have exceeded our expectations – truly cultivating hope.
In under six months, teachers and students cleared land, brought fertile soil down from the mountain, built seven double greenhouse beds, harvested two vegetable crops (a third crop is expected in January), and grown corn in bags, all under the direction of our agricultural engineer.
The fruits of the students’ and teachers’ work are providing students with complete school lunches for the first time. And the lessons they’re learning are being shared with their families at home, transforming the region from extreme poverty to greater food security.
In 2026, we plan to increase our reach to add four more schools. This will bring us to six schools in the region, at a cost of $6,700 per school per year, while we continue to support greenhouse farming in the original two schools and three villages. We’ve gotten to this point in just three years with only $40,000 a year. Our programs are cost-effective and they work.
Your support of Sowing Opportunities is more important than ever. While we’re accustomed to doing more with less, this year is especially challenging. You may have heard that USAID has been dismantled. International aid has drastically reduced worldwide, making competition for grant funding yet more intense. Your help is critical for us to continue Cultivating Hope into 2026.
Every dollar from our donors goes directly into the programs. You can donate at this link:
In great appreciation,
Fern and the Sowing Opportunities team