Updates from the Amazon!

In early January of this year, SFAC collaborated with the Faire Collection (formerly the Andean Collection), and put half of the net proceeds from our 2013 sales to good use.  After working together for months, a plan was made and in the middle of May, our program began.  The Ecuadorian artisan groups of Nueva Esperanza, San Pedro, and San Francisco excitedly completed 16 hours of workshops, with a total of 22 families participating.  Each family was able to learn, both in the classroom and the soil, proper building and planting techniques, and the importance of a balanced diet, with the goal of owning their own healthy, sustainable farms.  With a little help, these people who are part of the Kichwa Tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon are overcoming malnourishment, one lesson at a time.

Families learn the principles of permaculture and discuss the importance of a balanced diet, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables.

Women receive practical, hands-on experience in soil quality testing, soil composition, and setting up garden beds for proper drainage and pest control.

Families take notes on the valuable information they received, ready to implement it into their daily lives.