Money Talk

Good new! Last week I went to the church I grew up attending, the First Congregational Church in Stockbridge, MA, to present my Dominican Republic project and ask for a donation of $1000. I just found out that the proposal was approved, and they are granting the full $1000 to this project! I created a separate bank account for donations that I will be able to access while I’m in the DR, so if anyone reading this feels compelled to make a contribution, email me: margwise@gmail.com for further instructions. Below I’ve posted the budget and timeline I presented to the church. As you can well imagine, there is need for more than just the $1000 I’ve outlined here. Typically the hogar (as I will call it for short) has around 20 girls at any given time. Now there are 16 because there is not enough money to pay for additional women (besides Marielena) to help. There are about 5 girls Marielena is wants to take in, and if she can find steady funding (monthly donations for each girl) however small, she will be able to give them a good home. The hogar has a chainlink fence surrounding it, so they feel relatively safe, but Marielena wants to have a concrete wall built around the property for increased security and privacy. She told me it’s very expensive to build the wall. I think they should build it earthship style out of old bottles and cans held together with cement (or some binder) because it would be significantly cheaper and there is a big trash problem there. In addition, I was informed by the mother of a girl who was doing peacecorp at the hogar that they are missing simple kitchen tools, like a can-opener, and they are using knives to open cans and breaking all their knives. (hopefully in the future they won’t have to eat food from cans because they will be able to pick fresh veggies from the garden!). And, of course, the garden project itself will be more prolific the more startup we have to work with. I do not mean to induce pity by all this. Marielena is very clear that she doesn’t want people to give money because they are taking pity on the girls. She has them bathe and dress nicely for every occasion. (The girls are all ages, ranging from 3-18). I have a deep respect for Marielena and the incredible vision she has dedicated her life to.  I want only to support her in her existing methodology for running the hogar. So, while I’m not trying to get readers to take pity on the girls, the reality is that they still have needs and they could use additional funding in a multitude of productive and heart-warming ways. The benefit to giving now, while I’m doing this garden project, is that you will be able to follow the blog and see exactly how your money is being put to good use. So, below is the budget I created for the church. Read it with the understanding that more money than the allotted amount would not only be welcomed by the hogar and this project but will also contribute to the vitality of  the inspiring and influential young women the girls have every potential to be.

Budget: USD$1000

• Compost Construction - $100 ($50 for materials, $50 for possibly renting drill and saw, but we will try to borrow first)
• Tool Shed Construction - $200 (We will look into “low impact” building options – cob, earthship style construction, bamboo, etc, and decide what’s best for the site. Materials should be cheap, so part of the money will go to paying a local professional for advice and/or building help).
• Garden Tools - $500 total, breakdown of estimated costs below (based on Home Depot prices)

Ø    Wheelbarrow - $100

Ø    Shovels (2) - $60

Ø    Rakes (2) - $20

Ø    Hoes (2) - $50

Ø    Pitch Fork - $25

Ø    Trowels (3) - $30

Ø    Hand Cultivator - $20

Ø    Loppers - $25

Ø    Clippers (2) - $50

Ø    Machete - $25

Ø    Pruning Saw - $30

Ø    Gloves (10 pairs) - $50

Ø    Tomato stakes, twine etc. - $15 

•   Seeds and Seedlings - $200 (~$150 for fruit trees and perennials, ~$50 for annual vegetable seeds)

Timeline:

Week 1 Sept 26	Get settled, discuss plans with community, choose site for compost	Week 7 Nov 7	Buy plants and seeds
Week 2 Oct 3	Build compost bin and start making compost!	Week 8 Nov 14	Prepare the earth, begin planting and sowing
Week 3 Oct 10	Make plans for building tool shed	Week 9 Nov 21	Keep things watered
Week 4 Oct 17	Build tool shed	Week 10 Nov 28	Watch things grow
Week 5 Oct 24	Finish tool shed and buy tools!	Week 11 Dec 5	Weed, turn compost
Week 6 Oct 31	Create a map of the site and start planning a garden design	Week 12 Dec 12	Harvest? Teach harvesting Celebrate!