On behalf of the EOS International team, I am thrilled to announce that as of July 1st, I am on a six-month sabbatical from my job at General Mills and will be acting as the full-time Executive Director of EOS! The entire last month was spent preparing for this transition and my move to Nicaragua, which is why you have not heard from us since the end of our successful $2 for a Better Future campaign in May. Our Nicaragua team has been busy promoting and installing technologies and in the US, we are gearing up to kick off two new programs.
For this month’s video blog, Wes and I wanted to tell you more about my new position and what we have planned for the coming months.
To watch the video, click this Youtube link: http://youtu.be/wbDs1g-B5D4, or click the link at the top of this e-mail to view it on your browser.
The last 3+ years has been an incredible learning experience for our entire team, but it feels as if I have learned more in my first week working full-time and living in Nicaragua than in the last three years combined. We have a long way to go, but I am so inspired by the kindness of our rural Nicaraguan stakeholders and the dedication of our team.
In our $2 for a Better Future campaign, we described that in 2011, EOS International reached more than 21,000 Nicaraguans on a budget of $40,000. Therefore, every $2 we spend is improving one life in Nicaragua!! To introduce you to the people who are benefitting from your support, we are establishing a monthly testimonial series called “$2 in Action.” Our first testimonial is about drip irrigation and food security. The beneficiaries are 3-year old Saúl (pictured to the right) and his older brother.
In early June, the EOS team installed a drip irrigation system for a family garden in Las Cañas, San Isidro, Matagalpa. Alba Damaris Molina, age 28, is the direct beneficiary of the system, which is intended to improve food security and nutrition for her sons Saúl Ezequiel Laguna Molina, age 3, and Derick Efraín Laguna Molina, age 8. Good nutritional habits early in life have positive lifelong impacts in health and mental development. The vegetables grown with this system will provide improved nutrition to these two children. Their father, José Efraín Laguna Castillo, is the sole provider for the family who works as an artisan making bags, ropes, and saddlebags. For the entire family, he earns 1,500 córdobas per month, or $2.14 a day.
EOS engineer Salvador Ruiz and program coordinator Denis Jarquín designed and built the 200-square meter system with our Business Development intern Christopher Fay. They spent four hours installing the system, which is part of a budding alliance with World Vision to promote drip irrigation systems in the dry zone of Matagalpa. Our goal is to improve family income and food security in this dry zone, which consists of more than 2,500 small- and medium-size farmers in four municipalities: Darío, San Isidro, Sébaco and Terrabona. Another 10 drip irrigation systems are already being planned in the same area!
Here is a link to a photo album on facebook with more pictures of Alba, Saúl, and the vegetables that they are growing with their new drip irrigation system!
Reflections from EOS volunteer Ilana Martin after 3 months in Nicaragua
Ilana Martin, a Program Coordinator on our team, was in Nicaragua from March to May, getting to better know the country, our Nicaraguan team, and our technologies. Here is a reflection on her experience:
“Being able to combine my work with EOS and my personal desire to explore a new part of the world has culminated into a fabulous three month visit to Nicaragua.
I spent two weeks in Nicaragua before visiting the EOS office for the first time. When I arrived, I was greeted by our Nica team with smiles and open arms. Being in the office and seeing our technologies solidified my excitement for what we do here. I was also able to talk to each person in our office and hear their dedication to EOS. So much so, they or a family member, has purchased one of our technologies. I am still so encouraged by their commitment to improving their country, one technology at a time.
After a week at our office, I went on to explore other parts of Nicaragua. From surfing and snorkeling in the ocean, swimming under waterfalls, horse back riding at a local rodeo, to hiking volcanos, my time in Nicaragua has been the experience of a lifetime. I also able to spend two weeks at a Spanish school called Hijos del Maiz, in a small farming community of El Lagartillo. While there, I lived with a local family and immersed myself in the community. Being in El Lagartillo gave me an informed perspective of our customers and their needs.
Before concluding my trip, I stopped by the office for another visit. I was able to attend a community meeting with a cooperative group we are looking forward to working with this summer. We are also hoping to team up with other NGOs working in Nicaragua, one of which is People Helping People Global (PHPG - http://www.phpgmicrolending.org/), a group that gives micro loans to people living on less than $2 a day. PHPG was looking to expand into agriculture and we were looking for a micro finance organization to work with; we hope to kick off a pilot project with them in the near future. This is a huge step in making it easier for Nicaraguans to purchase a technology that can benefit them for years to come.
What I have done does not begin to compare to the generosity and kindness the Nicaraguan people have shown me. Whether it was the man in the bus terminal who randomly spoke English or the women who made amazing fish soup and demanded to know when I would be returning to her home, the Nica people have been great. I have not even left the country and I am already planning my return visit.”
We were excited to have Ilana visit Nicaragua to learn and see EOS in action. Consider joining our team to have the opportunity to visit Nicaragua and make an incredible difference in the world! Contact gregory.mcgrath@eosintl.org for more information.
As Wes mentioned in our June Video Blog, we have three interns working for EOS this summer: Linda Geiger (Engineering/Technology Development), Christopher Fay (Business Development), and JoAnn Pho (Marketing). Next month, we will be introducing them and sharing updates from their projects this summer.
Also, next month we will continue our $2 in Action testimonial series to introduce you to more Nicaraguans who are benefitting from your support and EOS technologies!
