YEAH!!

Well, I just got back from Majuro…and WE GOT OUR GRANT FOR THE FARM!!!!! We got $1000 worth of: materials, labor and instruction, donated to us through DSAP. (Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific). Where I'm standing in the picture above is where our new garden will be!!

I’ll start from the beginning. Melissa and I had been working with Francis for the past couple of weeks to further our plans for the farm and gain more knowledge on what it would take to make the project really happen. We met with him Friday night when we got into Majuro and had dinner at RRE. Lin, the farmer from Laura was also there and we discussed what we were going to need – how we would get it – and lots of other details. Francis said he would work on more contacts, Lin would give us seeds and he said he would also teach us a bit about it by taking us to his farm on Saturday.

Saturday – Melissa and I went to a cooking class in the morning that Lin put on, where we were able to learn great recipes using the foods we would be growing at our farms. Then, Lin took us to his farm in Laura where we were able to get a book that basically laid out step by step how to make a farm in the Marshall Islands. It couldn’t have been more perfect. After our trip to the farm, we stopped by Ace where we got the prices of everything we would need and made a cost analysis spread sheet for our proposal.

Sunday was the day we spent making our proposal and figuring out the details and supporting evidence for our need to build a farm. Our problem was: The lack of nutritious local foods and the heavy reliance on imported foods high in sugar and sodium contribute to the Marshall Islands’ growing problem of diabetes. Without the means or knowledge to cultivate healthy foods, this problem will continue indefinitely. And our proposed solution was: By educating the students and community about healthy lifestyles and gardening, as well increasing the availability of local, nutrient-rich foods though the creation of school-based fruit and vegetable gardens, the well being of these villages will be greatly improved. We drew the proposal out much further – stating our: objectives, goals, progress analysis plan and cost analysis chart – and then decided whom we would submit it to.

Accidentally, Melissa ran into the President of DSAP and arranged a meeting. Upon hearing our proposal he was extremely excited and practically agreed to support us right then and there. We met with him to show him the details and within minutes we had our grant. He said he had been wanting to do something like this for a very long time and we were like a dream come true to him; little did he know, however, that he was our dream come true.

So, coming back to Majuro today it was an incredible feeling knowing that I had already accomplished what I had set out to do. I definitely wasn’t expecting to come back $1,000 more invested into the farm…but apparently Lukoj really needed this project and it is going to happen now! Billy and Karen from DSAP are planning to come out next week – supplies in tow – and teach the kids about laying beds and making compost. Although we have already been working on that as a class, it will probably be nice for them to hear about it in Marshallese. I can’t WAIT to really get started and begin growing some fresh fruits and veggies. I am more excited about this farm that I ever anticipated I would be about anything here…and it feels so awesome to have actually received the grant and know that it is something that will actually happen and is no longer a mere aspiration! This is great.