Since its founding in 1974, Plenty has been a conduit for volunteers, material goods, ideas, technology, and funding to help people achieve their aspirations for a better life. Plenty’s mission is to assist in the protection, stewardship and sharing of the world’s resources in order to promote the well being of the communities and the environment we share. To this end, Plenty promotes the exchange of beneficial technologies, skills, and resources between people in a spirit of friendship and respect.

The community groups that Plenty assists represent Native peoples who are working to sustain their cultures; women organizing to improve their health, economic and social status; families, schools and community groups caring for, and educating their children; and older generations imparting the values of respect for the earth, and each other, to the young. Most of Plenty’s projects involve long-term partnerships that developed in response to direct requests for assistance. Together we seek practical, long-term solutions to the challenges they face.

Plenty is a registered non-profit, 501-C-(3) organization which is funded by individual donors, foundations, and community groups. We welcome any and all financial support.

Plenty Belize
Central America Food Security Initiative(CAFSI)
Chimachoy Water Project
At-Risk Urban Youth, Kids to the Country
Native Americans

Plenty Belize is a registered non-governmental organization located in Punta Gorda Town in the southern Toledo District, bordering Guatemala. Its focus is maternal and infant health care and education, organic school gardens and environmental education, food and nutrition programs, and alternative energy. This office also plays an essential role in the coordination and oversight of Plenty projects throughout Central America.

In the Toledo District, levels of education, health, literacy, infrastructure and income for the district’s 23,000 residents (majority Maya) are consistently at the bottom of Belize’s national averages. It also contains a number of diverse ecosystems, including primary temperate rainforest. However, the local environment is threatened by increased population growth, unsustainable agriculture, deforestation and development pressures. Since 1990, Plenty has assisted grassroots Mayan, Garifuna and other groups working in the Toledo District.

Plenty Belize is currently Plenty International’s largest operating program in terms of activity and budget, requiring at least 25% of Plenty’s general unrestricted funds from individual donors, or more if project grants fail to meet all project expenses. We have close collaborative relationships with many NGOs, schools and government agencies in the Toledo District, and elsewhere in the immediate region. With a paid staff of two (Coordinator Mark Miller and Administrative Assistant Leah Cho), we rely on local and international volunteers to help support projects.

Midwifery Training Program
GATE (Garden-based Agriculture for Toledo’s Environment)
School Feeding Program
Food, Nutrition & Agriculture Fair
Solar Energy Education and Hands-On Training

Midwifery Training Program

Most of the 22 midwives who have trained in this program are actively being utilized, particularly those from villages close to the porous Guatemalan border. Many of the remote villages do not have health facilities, and only receive medical care via "mobile clinics," organized by the local Ministry of Health every six weeks. Not only are many of the midwives called for childbirth emergencies, but as they become known some are also being asked to help with other health issues and medical emergencies.

In 2003, assistance was provided to the Midwifery Training Program by Coordinator Mary Kroeger, midwife Christina Kahlou, volunteer Reva Kidd and intern Katie Townes. In 2003, a series of literacy workshops and individual tutoring took place from December through June, as well as village visits to each midwife, and the provision of basic supplies.

Volunteer Debra Mixon spent two months assisting the Chairladies’ Fajina Association and several other women’s groups with sewing and crafts making. Volunteer Gary Groll spent five weeks with Plenty Belize strategizing with us on project development. Many thanks, and appreciation, go to our dedicated staff and volunteers! They truly are the foundation upon which Plenty is built.

GATE (Garden-based Agriculture for Toledo’s Environment)

GATE’s goal is to enable primary schools in the Toledo District to develop sustainable organic gardens, both as a way to supply nutritious food for their much needed lunch programs, and as an educational tool for the children and the community. In the 2003 school year four schools were added to the program, for a total of ten. These schools receive tools, seeds, extension support and information on a consistent basis. Two of the original participating schools doubled the size of their original 20’ X 20’ plots, and several schools were able to sell excess produce to provide income for their lunch programs.

School Feeding Program

All of the schools in the GATE program also offer school lunches as part of the SFP. Plenty Belize has been very involved in a support role, helping organize meetings and activities, transporting donated supplies, and related tasks. Plenty raised some designated funding from Plenty donors in 2003 for the Laguna and Barranco schools to purchase food supplies.

Food, Nutrition & Agriculture Fair

As an adjunct activity to GATE, Plenty staff helped put on World Food Day in Punta Gorda in October. They chaired the educational committee, organized the poster competition, arranged for buses to bring village students in to the event, raised funds, and more. About 500 rural students were bussed in to join about 1,000 students from the Punta Gorda schools to attend. Plenty also set up a soy foods demonstration, information, and sampling booth. Over 20 gallons of soy milk were shared, along with okara fritters, fried tofu, and soy burgers.

Solar Energy Education and Hands-On Training

Thanks to an earlier grant from the Unity Avenue Foundation and and response to a request from the rural San Jose village primary school, which is off the electrical grid, Plenty provided tools and equipment for a solar lighting installation which was completed in November. As one of Plenty’s goals in all its projects is to build local capacity, Plenty Belize coordinator Mark Miller arranged for the electrical class from the Center for Employment Training to be involved in the installation process. Following a lecture on photovoltaic systems in preparation for the installation, the 15 CET students completed the installation of four 75 watt panels on the school’s roof, hooked up the six 6-volt batteries, and connected wiring and switches in two rooms. The system is now serving the electrical needs of the community for their evening activities at the school.

In 2003, Plenty combined requests from four of our long time Soy Program partners into a larger initiative to help these non-profit organizations provide high-nutrient, low-cost foods within their communities. The four groups - ADIBE and UPAVIM (Guatemala), SoyNica (Nicaragua), and the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival (Mexico) offer critical social services in jobs, education, and health to their local community members.

Two of the groups, SoyNica and ADIBE, already manage soy foods production facilities which are in need of upgrade and expansion. UPAVIM and the Huichol Center are in the beginning stages of establishing such facilities. Funding for CAFSI will enable Plenty to coordinate a training and technical exchange amongst the four groups in support of their individual goals. A lengthy planning throughout 2003 will bring about the initiation of this far-reaching program in 2004.

Soy Dairy Upgrades and Training

In April 2003, Plenty’s Soy Technician Chuck Haren worked with the ADIBE facility on their soy dairy equipment and renovation needs. Upon their request, in December Plenty also provided $1,250 to enable a bulk purchase of soy beans.

Later, Chuck worked with UPAVIM’s staff members on the next stage of their soy center Upa-Soya, including some equipment purchasing and set up.

Huichol Nutrition Improvement Training Project

Soy Technician and Nutrition Educator Louise Hagler worked at the Huichol Center for six weeks, March through April 2003. Six soy foods and nutrition workshops were held in villages, and the town of Huejuquilla. Because of Plenty’s input, soy bean variety trials were started and are ongoing. Candelario Vasquez, who was a project volunteer from Chapingo University, was hired by the Center to continue developing the trials, and teach vegetable gardening to local inhabitants. The Huichol Center cook is incorporating soy protein in some of the meals provided to children at their day care/school. Plans are underway for Phase II of the program to start in the fall of 2004. Thanks to Onaway Trust and AMB Foundation for their support of this project.

Funding of $3300 provided by the Atlantic Design Construction Company will help to enable the village of Chimachoy in the Guatemalan highlands to pipe running water to all 111 homes from their new 700 foot well. This donation was made in response to a request from the community. Chimachoy is one of the villages that the Plenty Guatemalan project crew worked with in the late 1970’s and early ‘80’s. At that time a school was built and health promoters were trained there as well.

Kids to the Country

KTC offers environmental education, conflict resolution, and creative expression for inner-city youth. The program is based on The Farm in Summertown, TN- The original base of Plenty International.

This Plenty project gives inner-city youth the opportunity to experience the beauty and peace of the natural world in a structured, positive environment. Participating kids are from 6-12 years old and are referred to Plenty from homeless shelters, low-income housing projects and social programs.

KTC’s summer program in middle Tennessee weaves the development of conflict resolution skills and environmental education into activities such as horseback riding, organic gardening, arts and crafts, swimming, and talent shows. Three other seasonal activities, an urban Earth Day Peace garden in the spring, fall Harvest festival, and winter Kwanzaa celebration encourage the kids to maintain their connection to nature, each other, and to the principles of the program. The KTC Program served 200 children during 2003.

Thanks to KTC’s many volunteer counselors for their help with the program in 2003. Special thanks go to Plenty board member Jeffrey Keating, who collected and transported eight donated Power Macs to Summertown, enabling a further expansion of the program.

Pine Ridge Reservation

Pine Ridge, located in South Dakota, is home to the Lakota people and is situated in the poorest county in the U.S. Plenty links volunteers, and provides technical and financial help. Plenty assists the Slim Butte organic community gardens project, and other projects which promote local self-sufficiency and cultural sovereignty. Plenty was able to provide $2000 in general support money to the Pine Ridge Gardens Project in June.

Rosebud Reservation

Due to a request by resident health worker Ruth Thomas, we provided $500 for a computer for the Rosebud Health Promoter training project, as well as tax deductibility for a vehicle donated by an individual for the project.

Over its 30-year history Plenty has been supported by many thousands of committed and faithful donors. Being a relatively small NGO, we feel personally connected to our donors who frequently send notes with words of encouragement along with their donations. Many are former volunteers, or Farm community family members or people we have met over during project work or fundraising events or who have learned of Plenty from friends who are supporters. Others are people we don’t know personally who have been attracted by Plenty’s philosophy of development and village-scale kinds of projects. Every donation of any size is meaningful and inspiring. The following is a list of foundations and individuals who made exceptionally large gifts to Plenty in 2003: