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The Women of Sarita Colonia

A few of the mother’s of Sarita Colonia in the community kitchen (G.Valdivia, June 2023)
Watering the plants at Sarita Colonia  (G.Valdivia, June 2023)

The Iglesia Verde (Green Church) project moved to Lima at the beginning of this year and has been working for the last six months in the outskirts of the Lima district with some beneficiaries from the Club de Madres Sarita Colonia (Sarita Colonia Mothers’ Club). Through engaging workshops, seminars, and educational campaigns led by Grecia Valdivia, our project officer, the project has shared valuable insights on the biblical mandate for environmental stewardship.  The Club de Madres Sarita Colonia, located in the Sarita Colonia neighbourhood in downtown Lima, is home to eight marvelous women. The women were initially skeptical about the project but soon became very warm and receptive. The project has encouraged active involvement with the women showing outstanding effort and commitment.

In collaboration with A Rocha Peru, the women of Sarita Colonia have founded a community kitchen, which provides lunch meals at social prices. In addition, they established an organic garden, planting seeds and growing vegetables that they use to prepare meals in their kitchen. Meanwhile, they have learned techniques such as composting, water conservation, and gardening, which the women can apply in their households. This newfound knowledge empowers them to be eco-conscious decision-makers and role models within their families and the broader community. By utilizing their influence to promote sustainability practices, we have had a larger reach than expected.  Unfortunately, the environmental education activities with Club de Madres Sarita Colonia have concluded. The Iglesia Verde Project will continue to spread awareness of the importance of conservation and the preservation of God’s Creation within other communities.

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Iglesia Verde project moves to Lima!

Grecia Valdivia (left) and beneficiaries of the Iglesia Verde project (Image: March 2023)

 

The Iglesia Verde project moved to Lima this year and will be working in the outskirts of the Lima district.  A Rocha Peru’s project is partnering with GZB and the Iglesia Betel de Lima (Betel church of Lima), a Presbyterian church led by Pastor Elmer Laura Quiñones.  Grecia Valdivia is coordinating the activities as the new Project Officer.  Aligned with the Creation Care Program, it aims to spread awareness and sensitize pastors, leaders, community, and church members on the importance of conservation and preservation of God’s Creation.  The project will be working directly with approximately 80 beneficiaries.  This includes church members, the Red de Jóvenes Presbyterians del Perú (Presbyterian Youth Network of Peru), and the Club de Madres Sarita Colonia (Sarita Colonia Mothers’ Club).  The project will conduct in-person workshops on composting, home plant care, and recycling. For the youth network, the project will run a virtual course about the environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. In addition, the course will teach the importance of ecosystem conservation and restoration and how we can work together to protect the environment and improve the quality of life in our communities.

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A new garden of joy in Chiclayo

Children placing posters along the geraniums (Image: A. Regalado, May 2022)

Our Inglesa Verde project continues to grow in 2022 with a second mini-project implemented in the Evangelical Presbyterian and Reformed Church in Peru (IEPRP) called Fuente de Vida in Chiclayo.  The Jardín de Alegría mini-project was implemented with the collaboration of Pastor Mateo Galuk, and members of the church, such as sisters; Hanna, Rosario, Soledad, Yaqueline, Cheila, and Julifer.  Workshops were held to develop the mini-project with the children of the neighborhood and the church.  Workshops were also conducted in Los Jardines de Santa Rosa and Los Niños de Jesús institutions educating students about the problems they have in the locality.  Topics for the workshops included water care, composting, and recycling.   Additionally, there were practical activities such as planting geraniums, cleaning and weeding the gardens, putting up a fence and painting a mural that motivates the community to take care of creation.

Closure activity for the Jardín de Alegría mini-project (Image: A. Regalado, June 2022)

Three clean-up campaigns were also carried out with the participation of members of the church and the neighborhood community in the gardens of Santa Rosa and the surrounding area.  Also, at the end of June, the Jardín de Alegría mini-project had a closing party in which diplomas were given in recognition of the participation and commitment of the children in the development of the mini-project.   It was a great success!