“We had an awesome time here! We learned so much, worked together as a community, and relaxed in this beautiful place. This was a life-changing experience for our kids that they will remember forever.“
-Andy Sloop, father of two & Global Waste Director for Nike
The determination of these middle schoolers inspires us all.
Here’s their story: All 8th graders of Rachel Carson Environmental Middle School in Beaverton, OR complete a group service project. Scott, Thomas and Lizzie decided that they wanted to go abroad to complete their project. They spent a whole year organizing fundraising events, selling snacks at basketball games, collecting cans, even holding a pie in the face contest. They never gave up, despite many teachers, peers and parents who were more than skeptical that this trip would actually happen.
By winter they had raised over $3,000!
Our first group trip at ViVerde couldn’t have been better. Our group’s mission was to build an earthen, fuel efficient stove and they knocked it out of the park. We celebrated the build with a taco party with made-from-scratch tortillas. Traditional tortillas are made from whole grain corn that is cooked with lime, or powdered calcium. This makes the niacin (B3) in the corn more bio-available. Once the corn is soft, we then grind the kernels through a mill to make a chewy flour. Mixed with a pinch of salt, we press dough balls in the tortilla press. On our new fuel efficient griddle they cook in just a few minutes. Buen Provecho!
We also spent a day at Education Plus, an after-school program for the children of Pantanal, one of Granada’s poorest neighborhoods. The middle schoolers arrived with arms full of shiny new soccer balls and fun educational games. They left with new friends and huge “sonrisas,” smiles all around.
After our stove project was completed, we had a chance to play too. We explored markets, swam in a caldera, sipped countless smoothies, and gaped into the mouth of a fiery volcano.
ViVerde’s mission is to develop world travelers and global citizens. This group learned to navigate a new culture and learned a little more about themselves. With young leaders like this, the future is looking brighter every day.