Give a fish...

... to a person, and that person eats for a day. Teach that person to fish, and they eat for a lifetime.



There´s a proverb to that effect I remember hearing some time ago. And yesterday I saw an example of that philosophy in action.



Some St. Peter´s people may have heard of Food for the Poor or remember some years ago when we had a speaker from that organization give the sermon one morning. I was a visitor at their center in El Cercado yesterday, and saw the work that they are doing for the poor of this country, and of Haiti, which shares the island.



It was a very impressive operation, which included resources not only for food distribution, but, more importantly, agricultural self-sufficiency. There were about a half dozen hen houses each containing several hundred hens, plus ponds for a fish hatchery where tilapia are raised for consumption. There were also hothouses where tomato plants were growing, plus gardens containing yuca, plantain, and bananas, which are all staples here.



But the organization goes further than that: they have also built schools, medical clinics, and houses. In fact, they have constructed whole villages of simple 2 bedroom homes for local campesinos, replacing the jerry-built shacks and huts that most of the rural poor in this country live in. And they have projects to bring electricity and potable water to the new homes. All in all, a very impressive enterprise run not by US or European missionaries, but by locals, which helps to keep the cost down.



I won´t share the story of how I got from Santiago to El Cercado -- believe me, any attempt to use local transportation here has turned out to be an adventure. But I will share my impression that this organization seems to be doing a great deal of good for a great many people. Sometime in 2010 one of their speakers will be at St. Peter´s, and we will have the opportunity to hear another voice.