In 2013, co-founders Greg and Lucy Jensen moved their family to Guatemala to pursue a simpler lifestyle. Seeing a country in need, they couldn’t help wanting to give back to a people they had fallen in love with.
However, many of the nonprofits in the area provided temporary relief without creating sustainable change—something Greg and Lucy felt strongly about. So they started their own organization.
With their friends the Dennings, they moved to the “Homestead,” where they began teaching self-sustainable skills to the area’s neediest families.
The response from the community was incredible cultiva international. Seeing firsthand the change in people that teaching self-sustaining skills brought fueled an even stronger desire to empower as many people as possible. In three short years, we’ve worked hard to develop and refine a sustainable model that works.
Improving lives by teaching sustainable living– fostering independence, not dependence.
With their hands-on, learn and earn model, Cultiva empowers individuals with the skills needed to take care of their own families—giving them the confidence to create a healthier life. As they share their newfound knowledge and skills with those around them, they begin breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations.
How They Do It- Improvement cultiva international is powered by education, so they start there. It’s through hands-on participation— not handouts— and educational experiences that a sustainable impact is made.
Ongoing Support- Monthly visits are made to follow up with each family, give support, answer questions, and ensure success.
HELP US EMPOWER FAMILIES
As Covid has devastated the economy of Guatemala, especially tourism, many are now struggling to put food on their table. Cultiva is helping in two ways. 1. They have partnered with the local volunteer fire department to purchase food for vulnerable families. 2. They are providing vegetable starts at no cost for those families that can now not afford to purchase them. These families are among the over 2000 families that have earned garden boxes from Cultiva over the last few years. Our $1,000 donation will be going to help these struggling families.
$100 PROVIDES A FAMILY WITH A GARDEN BOX, TRAINING AND 1 YEAR OF FOLLOW UP SUPPORT.
Any amount, $5, $10, $50 helps a family learn to help themselves.