| Description |
Frontier Horizon<br/> defending justice, protecting innocence<br/><br/><br/>Self-Sufficiency, Organic Farming Project<br/>Managua, Nicaragua<br/>________________________________________<br/>ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION<br/><br/>Frontier Horizon Mission Statement <br/><br/>Frontier Horizon’s present mission is the improvement of the health, education and general welfare of orphan children in Nicaragua and Ukraine. We strive to establish small business projects and self-sufficiency programs, through agricultural development, in order to create a healthy economic environmental and spiritual balance that will benefit the Nicaraguan and Ukrainian communities as a whole in addition to the children living at the orphanages. <br/><br/>Current activities include:<br/><br/>1) Organic greenhouse project: Frontier Horizon has received funding for several currently successful organic greenhouse projects in Ukraine.<br/>2) Classroom renovation project: We just received funding to renovate classrooms at special needs orphanage # 34 in Odessa, Ukraine.<br/>3) Short term mission trips: Frontier Horizon leads short term mission trips to Nicaragua and Ukraine in order to develop awareness of the children's needs.<br/>4) Hosting program: Frontier Horizon brings Nicaraguan and Ukrainian children to the US on short term trips to stay with US host families<br/>5) Christmas Wish: Every Christmas Frontier Horizon raises funds to bring Christmas gifts to the children in Nicaragua and Ukraine.<br/>6) Basic support: Frontier Horizon supplies monthly and emergency support to orphanages in Nicaragua and Ukraine such as food, clothing, educational and medical needs.<br/>ORPHANAGE SELF-SUFFICIENCY FARMING PROJECT PROPOSAL<br/><br/>Need for the project<br/><br/>Frontier Horizon works with several different orphanages and poor communities in Nicaragua. Some orphanages include the El Canyon orphanage, the John Paul II orphanage, the Maria Albertina orphanage along with poor communities such as Sandino City, Vera Cruz and the new community that families moved into from La Chureca (the old dump), As is common in many Nicaraguan orphanages, the orphanage has a mix of true orphans and “economic orphans,” who are children that live in the orphanage because their parents do not have the money to support them. <br/><br/>We work directly with several hundred children. The children receive the most basic food and they live in extremely poor conditions. Their diet lacks essential nutrients, and the orphanage staff is constantly looking for donors to meet some of the basic food, clothing, and medical needs of the children. The goal of the Organic Farming Project as follows. <br/><br/>Project goals<br/><br/>Through the Self-Sufficiency, Organic Farming Project Frontier Horizon seeks to:<br/><br/> Provide a healthy, diverse diet for the children, orphanage staff and local community children<br/> Make the orphanages more financially independent by generating predictable annual income;<br/> Establish a self-sustaining, integrated, organic model farm that can be used to promote organic agriculture in the area, and provide a training site for the concepts and practices for other organizations or projects;<br/> Provide community neighbors with fair work;<br/> Provide vocational training and business experience for the older orphanage youth and the neighboring community;<br/> Provide Nicaraguan consumers with affordable, chemical free products;<br/><br/><br/>The Self-Sufficiency Organic Farming Project serves children right where they live. The Project provides preventative approaches to those in need by “breaking the cycle of poverty” through providing a consistent income for food, useable agricultural skills, education, and salaries. It provides education by giving older youth vocational experience in agriculture (taught by those hired from the community) and business experience through the sale of produce in the local marketplace. Finally, this project enables people to help themselves through agricultural improvements and enterprise development leading to economic self-sufficiency.<br/><br/>Our larger vision continues to be a model of self-sufficient farms for others to emulate. All of the energy is directed towards eventually eliminating the dependency on foreign donors while instilling confidence in Nicaragua's own ability to succeed. Nicaraguan people grasping a genuine agricultural vision of their country will prove to be the healthiest development for the nation. By teaching orphan children valuable agricultural and business skills, and allowing them to work for a small salary, they are learning to be independent and able to support themselves. This breaks the cycle of poverty that resulted in the children living at the orphanage; and, over time, this will hopefully enable these children to care for and support their own children.<br/><br/>Agronomists in charge<br/><br/>It will be headed up by accomplished agronomists who have already established a successful business and know how to handle the markets flexibility. Ligia Belli and Carlos J Perez have an established organic farm that will serve as the starting point for our project. A bio of their experience and work will be sent upon request <br/><br/>Yearly Budget<br/><br/>INTEGRATED ORGANIC FARM PROJECT <br/><br/>Year One Expenses<br/><br/>Project Manager Salary and Benefits ($500x12 months) $6,000 <br/>Labor $4,500 <br/>Irrigation $1,170 <br/>Total Production Costs for 6 separate crops (see planting schedule) $5,368 <br/>Organic Certification Preliminary Inspection $275 <br/>Rototiller $1,200 <br/>Tools $300 <br/>Land Preparation and Oxen ($15/day for 20 days) $300 <br/>Security, two guards (2 x $100/month) $2,400 <br/>Transportation $250 <br/>Total Production Costs for year one $21,763 <br/><br/>Planned Rotational Crop Production:<br/><br/> Vegetables: Year-round production with drip irrigation system during summer (a pilot site is currently established on ¼ acre). Produce: green beans, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, lettuces, beets, radishes and squash. Grown for orphanage consumption and local market sale.<br/> Sweet corn, field corn: Non-irrigated, two 4 month cycles, June-December. Grown for orphanage consumption and local market sale.<br/> Watermelons, cantaloupe: Summer, irrigated and non-irrigated. Grown for orphanage consumption and local market sale.<br/> Red beans, soybeans: Non-irrigated, 2 cycles, June-December. Grown for orphanage consumption and local market sale.<br/> Sesame: Non-irrigated, 1 cycle. Grown as commercial crop for international market. Market links and commercialization through CLUSA.<br/> Millet: Non-irrigated, 1 or 2 cycles. Grown as commercial crop and/or consumption (flour for tortillas).<br/> Banana and plantain: Irrigated. Year round. Grown for consumption and local market sale.<br/><br/>Potential Problems and Solutions:<br/><br/> Problem: Lack of technical knowledge, administration, management.<br/>o Solution: We now have a professional agronomist team as the project managers. <br/> Problem: Lack of operating capital.<br/>o Solution: Obtain a donation or grant<br/> Problem: Labor needed.<br/>o Solution: Hire local workers. Unemployment is over 60%, and rural labor is underutilized.<br/> Problem: Need for product marketing.<br/>o Solution: Utilize our agronomist team’s Small Producer outlets and technical assistance for marketing. <br/> Problem: Theft of products.<br/>o Solutions: <br/> Hire security personnel for monitoring and protection.<br/> Enfranchise locals on a sharecrop agreements.<br/> Problem: Loss of crop due to natural disaster, market crashes, or other unforeseen factors.<br/>o Solution: Start small, maintain seasonal and crop diversity, minimize technology and inputs (in other words follow strict organic production protocols).<br/><br/>With close proximity to the capital city of Managua (whose population is around 1.2 million people), and the rise in international demand for organic products, commercial prospects are very promising. The most visible outcomes of this project can be determined by the increase in quantity and quality of food for the children, in the creation of jobs, and in the yearly increase of the project’s financial profit. Ultimately, with a carefully planned project, a skilled agronomist, and adequate protection from theft during crucial periods, there is a very high probability of success. More farming and growing components can be added incrementally; and, within two to three years, the organic farming project should be profitable, self-sustaining, and a model for vocational training.<br/><br/>Methods of Evaluation<br/><br/> All donated funds will be utilized as start-up funds for salaries, equipment, and input for the first three years. If plans and projections are fulfilled, the farm should not only be economically and ecologically self-sustaining; but, the farm should also be profitable by the end of the third year. The project will be managed according to the following principals and methods:<br/> Transparency: All donations, loans, business transactions, crop liquidations, earnings reinvestment, etc, are conducted with open books. Full accounting is maintained with two quotes for purchases, receipts, and dual approvals by the Project Supervisor and the Project Manager. <br/> All profits earned from the sale of products or for vocational training will be reinvested in the farm operation or placed in a savings account for later use.<br/> The Agronomists/Project Manager’s earns a base monthly salary. All employment will be operated by legal contract.<br/> When the teenagers from the orphanage are used as labor for farm tasks, they are paid a fair wage that is equivalent to the wages of any other laborer. A savings account will be established for older orphanage children who work, if they chose. <br/> Organic certification is the end goal for the project’s crop production. Certification seems costly at first, but it yields large results and big dividends once it has been obtained (3 year certification).<br/> Markets will be investigated and expanded. The nearby towns of Masaya and Granada offer excellent prospects.<br/> All labor will be from the local community <br/><br/>Thank you for your continued interest in our work.<br/><br/>Sincerely,<br/><br/><br/>Dr. Vincent Rosini<br/>President, Frontier Horizon<br/> |
