As we end 2019...
2019 and looking forward to 2020
Greetings!

Sowing Opportunities’ last update was in June 2019.

In early 2019 Fern’s mom, Bobby, became ill and after caring for her at home, she passed away on July 13 th.

Around this time, our mailing list was hacked and we had to transfer to another provider to recover the names. We were just now successful in achieving this.

On August 9 th, Maya’s 5½-year-old biological sister, Odelia, took seriously ill in the remote village of Chajmaic, Guatemala. We could not use Sowing Opportunities’ funds for her care, so we raised funds through GoFundMe .  

Health and Full Bellies in Chajmaic
Thanks to many generous donors, and the quick, effective and generous efforts of Ricardo and his family, we were able to get almost all of the funds necessary, including that for Odelia's continued medicine at home. She is now healthy again!      
                                              
This past week the family enjoyed a delicious, abundant, and healthy Christmas meal. There is enough in the fund for a New Year’s eve feast, as well!
Sowing Ops Video
In early November our Sowing Opportunities’ Board member Nancy Peña, invited Fern to her studio to create a professional video for Sowing Opportunities. These are the links – in English, ​ https://youtu.be/7Yc-O9eZpbk, and in Spanish, ​ https://youtu.be/5qV3LCOI380 .

In mid-December, Fern completed an eight-week intensive grants writing course, in preparation for applying for funding from large funders. A key factor in receiving funding is collaborative partnership.

Towards this end, our Sowing Opportunity Board member Denis García introduced us to an agricultural engineer, Soel, who speaks Spanish as well as Achi, the native indigenous language of Baja Verapaz, Guatemala.  
Greenhouse Project
Our Board member Ricardo San José and I plan to meet Soel in Chajmaic, Guatemala in April 2020 to discuss the greenhouse project and how to involve youth and women as leaders in the project, and get the inhabitants to make the projects theirs.

Meanwhile, we are raising funds for seed money for the pilot project in the village. 

As we end the festivals of lights at this time of year, we are reminded by the gift of light that Fern’s mom, Bobby, gave to us throughout her life, and her appreciation of the work we are doing for the village of Chajmaic, replicable to other villages who are in poverty. 

On her birthday in September, Bobby sent us a beautiful sunset - the reminder of hope for the New Year.

Please join us in the mission of hope, for the people of the isolated village of Chajmaic.

If you are able to, please consider assisting our project with a donation at


Thank you for your support!

Fern and Ginny Remedi-Brown
Image imported from Mailchimp
Sowing Opportunities, Inc.
21 Ivy Road
Malden, MA 02148