Cultivating life

In the 21 century, with all the world development in the area of technology, we are still seeing the cycle of poverty manifested in rampant unemployment,  illiteracy, lack of health services, malnourishment, and childhood mortality.  One of the most beautiful countries in the world, Colombia, vast in natural and human resources, lives under this predicament.  The neighboring areas to the mines of gold and platinum are belts of poverty and malnutrition.  Our goal is to advocate and promote growth by transforming the cycles of poverty into poles of development.

The Sowing Seeds for the Future Foundation, was created in 2001 as a nonprofit organization to cultivate life.  Our initial efforts delved into assisting a children's shelter in Neiva, Colombia:  the Mercedes Perdomo de Lievano Shelter.  This Shelter was created by the Rotary Club from Neiva in the 1960's.  Today the Shelter assists more than 80 children, and provides technical training, teaching skills in the carpentry workshop, computer lab, print shop, bakery and the mop and broom workshop.  Children are provided educational opportunities at school, and therapeutic and recreational activities to grieve the loss of a parent, or the experiences of abuse and violence. Cultivating life means taking a child 

out of the cycle of poverty into the realm of educational opportunities, where they can expand their choices and have a healthy development to live in a democratic society.  

Our most recent project is taking place in Chocó, Colombia.  15.000 children are living with malnutrition as reported by a local pediatrician. To deal with malnutrition, we have researched different resources, and learned that the Moringa tree has been used in developing countries to deal with hunger and malnutrition problems.  We obtained a donation of Moringa seeds and the University of Chocó (UTCH) started an 

experimental design in their farm in order to grow the trees and provide them to the community.  Moringa trees have a high concentration of aminoacids, proteins, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  We hope this will be one of the solutions to malnutrition in Choco.  We are also looking into purchasing and installing soy processing equipment also called "soy cows" in order to give ten communities the resources to produce a self sustaining industry of soy milk and provide high protein nutritious breads, cookies and other soy products.  Currently, we are planning to set these "soy cows" in the towns of Andagoya, Alto Baudo, Bagado, Bajo Baudo, Condoto, Canton de San Pablo, Istmina, Nuqui, Sipi, and Tado.

Our dream is to see that all communities in Colombia surpass the obstacles of poverty and become efficient in their use of resources to meet their needs and to become sustainable poles of development where life thrives and children look forward to a successful and fulfilling future.