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LOCAL Saturday 5 auguSt 2017

Social Entrepreneur James Ocalia in Cooperation with HopeAruba Movement:

‘Sustainable Agriculture for Healthier Locals and Rehabilitated Drug Addicts’

The four students together with their teacher James (second of left).

The Aruban James explains Fair Harvest - all together it is ‘Hope’ in-
that he runs his company While we are walking on deed. On the 7,000m2 land
–Goshen, which means ‘in- the land the students are only local crops are grown:
undated land’ - with the enthusiastically showing concomber chikito (cu-
help of the men that are their plants, inviting Aruba cumber), yambo (okra),
part of the rehabilitation Today’s journalist to taste bonchi (beans) and pica
program. “They learn to a concomber chikito. The (hot peppers) form the
cultivate local crops and pride in their smiling faces main production. But one
One of the students proudly shows ‘his crop.’ it works in two ways. For is moving and there is defi- can also find patia (water-
them it is a subject they nitely something magical in melon) and dragon fruit as
ALTO VISTA - Somewhere chosen to learn another learn and a daily goal in the air. Maybe it is best de- well as moringa. “But these
uphill in Alto Vista you will life. life, for me it is exercising scribed as pure: the land, are not for commercial use
find a beautiful piece of Their addict life is their past, my job and doing some- the taste of the veggies, yet,” they share.
land with an old, white, tra- the goal is to learn and thing good for my island at the drive of the students The plants are seeded and
ditional cunucu house on graduate in a new life.” the same time.” and the sincerity of James grown in the nursery, built
it, dating from 1923. Noth- by the students, and when
ing remarkable about that, strong enough they are
you might think, as there transferred to the land. “So
are many of these old aun- far we sell only to individu-
ties scattered around the als that come to the house.
island. That goes amazingly well.
In the future we would like
But this one has an amazing to sell to supermarkets and
background story. Aruba hotels.” James works every
Today visited the place on day on the land with his
a warm, sticky afternoon men, from 1 to 5pm. “Two
where James Ocalia was of them are above 50 years
working on the land with a old. It is intensive as for me
handful of other men. as it is the first time I work
‘Cas Speransa Nobo’ is the with addicts. I started with
name on the sign of the this crew two weeks ago
old cunucu house. It re- and already learned that I
fers to the new hope that need to be strict and clear.
is there for the students of They are different in their
the rehabilitation program approach of life, this is like
that is run here. teaching life again as you
“We call them students do the same to children.”
rather than drug addicts or
clients because they have James Ocalia in the nursery green house. Continued on Page 16