"Operation Fruit For Life" is a program started by the charity Paramedics for Children. The purpose of the program is to combat malnutrition by planting a special breed of hardy fruit tree at the homes of some of the poorest people in the world. These fruit trees are bred to grow quickly and should produce fruit within 2 to 3 years. We spent a couple mornings planting mango, orange and avocado trees at the homes of Chorti families in the mountains surrounding Copán Ruinas.
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| Chorti Community |
The Project is designed to be relaxed and intent on familiarizing the participants like us, with the families, their lifestyle and culture. These people in general live on a diet of corn and beans. The addition of fruit trees will add variety and compliment their diets for years to come.
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| Planting a Mango Tree |
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| Chatting and admiring our work |
We found the visits interesting and rewarding. The lives that these people lead are so far removed from what we are accustomed to, that it is hard to believe. Their homes are barely more than shelters from the rain. They collect firewood to cook their food. They dry and process corn by hand in order to make tortillas.
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| Chorti woman removing corn from cobs |
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| About 4 months supply of corn. |
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| Kitchen Stove |
The people we encountered seemed shy and reserved, but ready and willing to help dig the holes in order to plant the trees. It took a little time, but more often than not I was able to engage in some sort of conversation with them. (in Spanish) The lady in the picture above chatted with me and explained the process she used to make tortillas from the corn she was preparing.
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| Members of the Chorti Community |
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| Marco Tulio - coordinator of our daily schedule |
The kids usually hovered around and were happy to have their picture taken with the blooming flowers or sometimes with one of us. I got the feeling that we were somewhat strange or a novelty in their eyes. Tourists regularly visit Copán Ruinas, but "gringos" like us seldom venture into the mountains to offer assistance and visit in a neighbourly fashion. Despite their shy manner, we felt welcome, and the air of appreciation was definitely fresh and sincere.
I recommend it!!!!
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