Irlanda lives with her young family in Pachay hamlet, Las Lomas de San Martín Jilotepeque. Her family consists of her husband, and her two daughters, Leidy and Jeimy, who are 4 and 1 years old, respectively. She decided to move to a place surrounded by nature to combine both her vocation as a middle school teacher, and the life in the countryside. 

She shares with great enthusiasm that she has made profits from her crops, and how that has helped her manage her own income, independently of what her husband makes. “I can have my own resources and money by selling part of the vegetables and fruits. Sometimes, we don’t even need to buy food because we are growing it ourselves and it is a part of our daily resources. 

I have the opportunity to contribute to our family income, so we were able to improve our home construction because we both provide now”. When we asked her what that meant for her, Irlanda summarized it in three words: “It was different before, but to me, now it means freedom, worth and joy”. 

These changes are also visible in her personal space, as her self-esteem has improved, as well as her relationship with her husband. “I tell my husband that we are both responsible for our daughters. We now know that even if men and women are different, we can learn to live in equality to get a better future”. 

She accepted the invitation to join the Nurturing the Future project three years ago. “Before I did not attend these meetings, but I got interested in learning how to eat better”. 

“With CARE, we have learnt the nutritional value of plants, and how to make the best out of our crops, because if we are nurtured, we can also avoid getting sick”.