Project Launch:

Gerardo Raul Mendoza Escate School in the coastal, desert district of Independencia, four hours south of Lima, Peru is near the Picso River, the sole source of water for the region and one that is quickly drying up. By the time the school received a grant from World Connect's Kids to Kids Program in 2011, students had already taken their nearby environment in hand, planting flowers and trees and starting a compost pile. Grant funding helped them add hydroponic agriculture, worm composting and development a nursery and a small vegetable garden. These young farmers are busy planting, innovating, and learning the agricultural skills that will feed them and the families for generations to come.