We’re excited to announce that we’ve had a recent surge in pledges for this project, bringing us closer to our fundraising goal.

It could not have come at a better time. The weather this past summer in the Philippines has been dry, and not just dry-season dry, but truly fierce and unyielding. The moms have been struggling with their gardens and frustration has been mounting commensurately. They’ve been growing their own vegetables for a few years now and rely on these gardens, not just for the nutrients, but as a supplement to their budget. They free up money for other things, or often for more and better food for their families. But this season, hot weather and no rain were causing the gardens to yield less, and demand more – more water, more work. They were becoming a burden.

Sustainable means something different to a mother in rural Philippines. It means having a garden without it feeling like a second job, without it demanding risky investment. It means she can sustain herself and her family into the future. So how could we solve the problem of low yields and dry weather without adding work and investment to the equation? How could we keep these gardens truly sustainable?

Ironically the solution was right under our noses. Pulang Lupa, which means Red Earth, is one of the first  communities we started working in. Contrary to its name, Pulang Lupa sits almost atop a garbage dump. In Pulang Lupa you truly don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. In the past, the community combed the dump for anything of value to resell or recycle. They made a meager income of the waste of others. That’s no longer the case as the dump is now closed to scavengers, but it got us thinking. One person’s trash is another’s treasure. Duh, compost! It helps retain water, it enriches the soil, and it doesn’t require further inputs of money and time!

To find the simplest and best solution, we combed another garbage dump full of valuable nuggets, the internet. After a few days digging in the perma-culture online support network, we devised a solution that best fit our mother’s needs and resources, vermicomposting. For those of you not in the know – we were there with you – according to Wikipedia, “Vermicompost is the product or process of composting using various worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms”. We liked the red wiggler part the most.

We set to work immediately, presenting the idea to the mother’s in our group. We explained that worms would help their gardens by aerating the soil allowing the nutrients in the soil to be unlocked, helping their beds retain moisture and removing toxins while adding further nutrients to the soil. Exciting right?

“Nangingilabot ako!” (My skin is crawling!) – exclaimed one mom. It wasn’t just the slimy pictures of worms we projected for them to help explain what we were planning, it was the idea that what we were really after was the poop! Technically they’re called “castings” but in reality they are tiny pellets of plant super-food. They “contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than do organic materials before vermicomposting.” As the benefits came into focus the women began furiously taking notes. We explained that worms are not very different from humans, or pets – they need the same basics: shelter, a sensible diet (worms are vegetarians!), and a pot to pee in, or rather go number 2. We showed the women how to build a home for the worms, called a worm bed, and how to keep the worms healthy, and productive. They learned what to feed them, how to harvest the castings, and other essentials.

And then came time to meet our pooping pals – the worms! We invited the women to touch and smell the vermicompost. To say they were delighted would be to oversell our case, but they were really happy to discover that vermicompost which is, after all, worm feces is completely odorless. Yup, success can smell sweet sometimes. We concluded the day by discussing how the vermicompost could become an additional source of income. With proper care and handling, the worms can produce enough vermicompost to be sold to other garden owners in their communities. Not only could the gardens supplement their food budgets by adding essentially free food, it could further boost their bottom line by adding extra income, with minimal effort, as the worm beds are low cost and low maintenance.

Our next step is setting up a few gardens in each community to show people how it works. These initial women will then train and advise the next group to dip their hands into vermicompost.

To get the pilot program going, and ensure its sustainable for the women, we do need some initial investment. We need your help to get some worms, used tires, manure and sawdust. Won’t you help these women learn how to create compost that will help feed them and their families for decades to come by giving a gift today? Click here to make this project a reality.