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Update from 9/22
Brent Kaufman checking in from a rainy Acapulco with an update!
I love these kids, I believe in the power of food independence, and I believe that together, we can the Marsh Children's Home.
I also believe that the only way for my dreams to come true is to meet them halfway. So, I permanently relocated to Acapulco and I am fully committed to this mission.
- Since Jovita asked me to teach the children English, I have been going 6 days a week
teaching multiple classes a day to different age groups. Sometimes, the same kids stay
in the class just to learn more. - I am taking TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course to become a certified teacher.
- Still growing sprouts and helping the garden thrive. Planting tons of sunflowers for future seeds, planted 13 garden-rooted pineapples around the Children's Home, lots of beans, chile, tomato, herbs including rosemary, peppermint, oregano and basil. We have lots of melons starting to form, which are really exciting for the children. Previously, they would eat any and all baby fruits and are now finally starting to learn respect for the growing process!
-The garden just got a new leader - one of the Marsh' middle-aged girls will begin to help care for the garden. This was great news to hear because 1. when Jovita tasks a child with a chore, the chore gets done. 2. This particular girl has shown initiative when it comes to the garden, and she is already the leader of a group, which means she can handle responsibility. Previously, we were using funds from this campaign to pay someone, a permaculture student named Hela, to help maintain the garden and continue to work with the children while we weren't physically there. Hela got us through the summer in a great way and is now off to finish school. Thanks, Hela and to all of you supporters who helped the Children's home have salads for this long. Of course, doing anything for a while helps you dial in the methods, and our most recent salad was the biggest one in a while. Rain season makes it hard to grow sprouts because we dont get the same amount of sun, and the rain soaks the soil. If we had a greenhouse, it would a. have to be super solid to not get damaged or blow around the orphanage in the rains, b. it would get very hot, and c. the sun still doesnt shine much during rainy days. In one sense, rain is great for the ground, though for the sprout station, keeping the rain out and making sure we can control the watering may be better. Having an automatic watering system is the next step, and this is still being realized. - Studying aquaponics and hydroponics to build a model for the Children's home that I will start by growing lettuce. The goal is to build the first model this month and to work out kinks and have a secure system by December. Securing the system through the winds is our current focus, as well as continuing to study healthy fish farming techniques and organic aquaponic applications. Always open to advice from experts and I will continue to reach out to some as I find out who to speak with. Someone told me the best teachers are also the best students.
- Editing a great video interview featuring Jovita, the mother of the Marsh Children's Home! In addition to her 25+ Years as Founder and Director of the Marsh Children's Home, Jovita Godínez has a diploma in Evolutionary Child Psychology from the Universidad de Anáhuac, completed in 2004. In 2013, Jovita Godínez was nominated for "CNN's Heroes", an annual competition to honor those who devote their lives to serving their communities.
- More exciting news is on the way, stay tuned!!