Seeds of Hope

By Ashley Puderbaugh 

Every other morning, Ana, a volunteer mother, heads to the Francisco Huarcay garden near a Children International community center in Quito, Ecuador. Today, she works the loose, fertile soil around a massive green-and-purple cabbage. Nearby, other parents pull weeds while children giggle and play as they water the crops.

This garden – just one of 13 located in conjunction with CI’s community centers in Quito – produces enough organic vegetables to feed 10 families and then some. Parents sell the leftover crops at nutrition fairs in the centers, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and providing supplemental income.

But the gardens have yielded even more benefits than food and money... 

Continue reading the original article on Children International's website to learn more about the community gardens in Quito. 

Or check out Children International's newest slideshow featuring photos like the one above from the community gardens in Ecuador.