02/07/2026
PROJECT EDEN/ADELANTE WINTER 2026 NEWSLETTER
The Project Eden staff had some vacation time around the Christmas holiday. It is good for them to have time to spend with family and to refresh themselves. The staff is back to work and projects are moving forward.
GARDENS
The project continues to support large community gardens in 2 villages, Santa Ana and Quiscamote, which produce crops to address local food insecurity. Recently one hundred pounds of beans were harvested in Santa Ana. Beans should be ready within a couple of weeks in Quiscamote. These are co-planted with corn. Once the beans have been harvested, the corn will then be harvested. Some areas in the region have not had sufficient rain to support crops this season so Mario is hoping to harvest enough to address the resulting need for corn to feed people and their animals. Plantains, yucca, bananas, green peppers and cucumbers are also growing in the community gardens. Fruit and vegetable crops
harvested from the community garden in El Hogar del Ninos will be shared with families in the Healthy Beginnings program. Coffee beans were recently harvested in El Hogar and more plantings are planned.
REFORESTATION
Projects and education regarding the need to protect forests and replace what has been lost will begin again with the re-opening of schools in February. Project Eden provides saplings to schools and works with the community to plant them. Some schools have tall flourishing trees on their grounds due to plantings done over the years.
HEALTHY BEGINNINGS
There is a new doctor and nurse at the clinic in El Hogar del Ninos. Mario has met with them to discuss continuing the Healthy Beginnings Program and they are very interested in continuing collaboration with this program to support improving maternal/child nutrition. The federal clinic in Quebrada del Danto conƟnues to work with Project Eden to implement this helpful program.
ADELANTE
Schools have been closed since November for the annual recess but will re-open in February. Mario attended some of the high school graduations in December. The first Adelante meeting of the year with students will take place in February. Padrinos have sent in enough sponsorships thus far to support 90 students. More support is expected and needed to sponsor all of the students interested in the program. The sponsorship cost has increased (to $300/year) for the first time since the program’s inception. Adelante students and their parents recently participated in some community service activities to clean up the environment.
WATER FILTRATION STATIONS
Project Eden is working with communities to re-open a few closed water filtration units. The system in San Benito was closed for a year after the delegate responsible for managing it passed away. With intervention from Project Eden, an alternative leader was identified and the system has resumed providing access to clean water. The system in La Soledad has closed but a local teacher stepped up to administer it so this should re-open soon. The pump in Jute, Guarizama failed so the community purchased a new one and Project Eden helped to install it to keep their water system functional. If a community does not use their water system and fails to identify a plan to resume use, Project Eden will move the system to a community in need of one. Thankfully, the vast majority of communities that have these systems work to keep them filtering water for the villagers. Access to clean water reduces the risk of parasitic infections, a common health problem in the region.
FATHER DAN’S JOURNEY (continued from the fall newsletter)
Father Dan moved from Nashua to Durham in 1997, to be pastor at St. Thomas More Parish. The next year, he assumed the ministry as Catholic Chaplain to the University of New Hampshire. In discussing possible spring break programs for students with the associate chaplain, the idea of an international experience was raised. Fr. Dan contacted a friend serving in a Honduran parish and, in 1999, he went to Guaimaca, FM, Honduras to work out details for a short-term immersion experience for students. While there, he experienced the day-to-day pastoral life in Honduras. A special moment was when he accompanied his pastor friend, Fr. Paul, to La Avispa, a small village, to celebrate Mass. The Mass was held on the patio of a home and the people gathered all around. There were great spirit and joy in this celebration of the Mass. Afterward, Fr. Dan remembers commenting to Fr. Paul, “That felt so right, so good.” (to be continued)
