Guatemalan families plant trees to overcome hunger
Mirtala and Catalino Mejia joined a special program of Operation Blessing and the U.N. where they plant trees in exchange for food provisions for their family.
"I see my children and I feel very happy because they're strong and healthy," Mirtala said. To date, more than 50 families have benefited from the program.
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POSTED: February 08, 2007
By John Patrick
ZACAPA, Guatemala - Thanks to Operation Blessing and some little trees, the Mejia family is eating well.
For the last four years, Catalino and Mirtala Mejia, along with their twelve children, have been planting trees on Miramundo Hill near their home in Zacapa in exchange for rice, beans, corn, sardines, oil and medicine – the basic supplies they need to live.
But getting food wasn't always so simple for this family of fourteen.
Some time ago, Catalino, the father, came down with a serious illness that put him in the hospital for four months. With their father unable to work, the family faced financial ruin. Mirtala, the mother, washed neighbor's clothes to earn some money, but it wasn't nearly enough to feed their children.
"I told God, 'Please help me, because my husband is sick in the hospital and my children are hungry'," Mirtala said. "I cried a lot."
As weeks passed, the health of the children began to worsen from lack of proper nutrition. Mirtala remembers many nights that the kids would go to bed having not eaten anything that day.
Then one afternoon a visitor came to the door and changed everything.
An official with Operation Blessing International arrived to tell Mirtala about a new program in the area. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) needed workers to plant trees as part of a reforestation effort in the area and, in exchange for their work, Operation Blessing would provide them with food and supplies.
Without hesitation, Mirtala joined the program immediately. Soon after, her family received their first batch of supplies - one hundred pounds of rice, corn and beans.
"I praise God because he answered me," Mirtala said. "I see my children and I feel very happy because they're strong and healthy, and there is food at home every time that we need it.
"And the fruit of our labor wasn't only food, but the desire to do something good for our village," she said.
"These trees have brought food to our home and they help the environment," Catalino added. "The trees are a constant job source for me."
To date, more than 50 families have benefited from the reforestation and food distribution project on Miramundo Hill and some 5,000 trees have been planted.
How You Can Help
With your financial donation, we can help provide food for families like the Mejia's, who are caught in the grip of poverty and hunger. Please take part in supporting Operation Blessing's life-changing works by making an online contribution today.
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