On June 14, 2021, the community of Iawakaka Village started their community service in order to clean the possible garden area for the training. On the following day, the Organic Gardening Training Course started with only 2 women participants. They were given orientation by Sr. Genelyn Caminian,SSJ, the sister-in-charge of the training. After the orientation, they were brought to the garden to prepare their own plots. Preparing the garden ground is not easy. Then another interested neighbour volunteered to help in the ground preparation and then decided to join the training (1 man). The Junior Legionaries of the sub-parish who regularly come on Saturdays to help Sr. Genelyn in the garden had expressed their desire to have their own garden. These 13 Junior Legionaries (13 -16 years old) with the permission of their Junior Legionary in-Charge were accepted. They come every Saturday to work in their garden and on weekdays after their classes. They water their plants and they are also trained to cook their lunch from the garden products. The Centre is like a home for them.
We are grateful to Taller De Solidaridad (TDS) for the funds received. We were able to purchase some needed garden accessories , ingredients for the concoction, seeds and pig fence (6 rolls) to fence the garden area (just the half of the land area) and to ensure that the garden will not be destroyed by the pigs of the neighbourhood. Fencing the garden has been our major concern because pigs are all around excavating the ground and destroying what is being planted.
We are also very grateful to LLG Agriculture Department of Rabaul District for donating some garden tools and equipments for the gardening. They also brought some seedlings of patchoy (pechay), round cabbage, and lettuce ready to be planted. Now they have been planted already in the prepared garden plots. Sr. Genelyn has already taught the trainees the 4 concoctions: Indigenous Micro Organism (IMO) follar – (fermented fruit juice ) FFPJ (fermented plant juice), OHN 1 & 2 (Oriental Herb Nutients) and how to prepare organic insecticides and organic fertilizers using vinegar, sugar and fruits and other plants.
Sr. Genelyn is also giving them Formation on the SSJ Founders, Charism, SJTC Vision –Mission of the Centre, Laudato Si’, Sanitation and Health Protocols and other Nazareth Values and Human Development. The parents of the youth are very grateful for the formation their children are receiving from the Centre. So far both the adult trainees and the Youth are very committed and happy doing their gardening.
At the moment, we have been enjoying the fruit of the trainees’ labor, harvesting patchoy, salady, cucumber, bitter gord, raddish, peanuts, string beans, aibika, karakap, okra, eggplant, and tomatoes. We have delivered them to Soho Supermarket, Coastal Shipping where there are many Filipinos. Our parishioners and neighbours also come to the garden to buy our vegetables at a low price. Since the income is a common fund, it will be equally divided among the trainees for their personal needs especially the youth’s school needs.
One concern we want to address is to have a rain water tank and a green house near the garden. It has not been raining for many weeks so there is a need to store rain water close to the garden to sustain the plants. Thank God, yesterday and today, God is giving us rain water. God’s abundant blessing is really palpable.
The 13 junior legionaries have expressed that after their graduation, they will still come back to the Centre to continue their gardening and to encourage their classmates to enrol for the next training. What a beautiful inspiration from them. Through them, the dream of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ is being concretized in this small village of Iawakaka. Thank you, Lord, for making our garden beautiful and fruitful, giving life and nurturance to those who patronize our garden fruits and greens. To everyone who contributed to make all these possible, THANK YOU SO MUCH and MAY GOD BLESS YOU!
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