Page 14 - ARUBA TODAY

A14 LOCAL
Thursday 21 sepTember 2017
Social Entrepreneur James Ocalia in Cooperation with HopeAruba Movement:
‘Sustainable Agriculture for Healthier Locals and Rehabilitated Drug Addicts’

ALTO VISTA - Somewhere Fair Harvest the drive of the students
uphill in Alto Vista you will While we are walking on and the sincerity of James
find a beautiful piece of the land the students are - all together it is ‘Hope’ in-
land with an old, white, tra- enthusiastically showing deed. On the 7,000m2 land
ditional cunucu house on their plants, inviting Aruba only local crops are grown:
it, dating from 1923. Noth- Today’s journalist to taste concomber chikito (cu-
ing remarkable about that, a concomber chikito. The cumber), yambo (okra),
you might think, as there pride in their smiling faces bonchi (beans) and pica
are many of these old aun- is moving and there is defi- (hot peppers) form the
ties scattered around the nitely something magical in main production. But one
island. But this one has an the air. Maybe it is best de- can also find patia (water-
amazing background sto- scribed as pure: the land, melon) and dragon fruit as
ry. Aruba Today visited the the taste of the veggies, well as moringa. “But these

One of the students proudly shows ‘his crop.’
The four students together with their teacher James (second of left).
are not for commercial use the United States, live on
place on a warm, sticky yet,” they share. the premises with their chil-
afternoon where James The plants are seeded and dren and work according
Ocalia was working on the grown in the nursery, built to the program Teen Chal-
land with a handful of oth- by the students, and when lenge. James: “They are
er men. strong enough they are here to set up the program
transferred to the land. “So for a year and also screen
‘Cas Speransa Nobo’ is the far we sell only to individu- the participants. Hope is a
name on the sign of the als that come to the house. movement, a collabora-
old cunucu house. It re- That goes amazingly well. tion of foundations, com-
fers to the new hope that In the future we would like panies and volunteers
is there for the students of to sell to supermarkets and that sets up social projects
the rehabilitation program hotels.” James works every where there is need in so-
that is run here. “We call day on the land with his ciety. People here tend to
them students rather than men, from 1 to 5pm. “Two signal social problems and
drug addicts or clients be- of them are above 50 years point towards the govern-
cause they have chosen old. It is intensive as for me ment, but Hope wants to
to learn another life. Their as it is the first time I work act upon themselves and
addict life is their past, the with addicts. I started with make a difference.”
goal is to learn and gradu- this crew two weeks ago
ate in a new life.” The Aru- and already learned that I Make a Difference
ban James explains that need to be strict and clear. To make a difference is
he runs his company –Gos- They are different in their where both connect. “I
hen, which means ‘inun- approach of life, this is like myself want to make a dif-
dated land’ - with the help teaching life again as you ference for my island from
of the men that are part of do the same to children.” my passion: sustainable
the rehabilitation program. agriculture. My goal is to
“They learn to cultivate lo- Cultural Dishes have locals eating the typ-
cal crops and it works in HopeAruba is a national ical Aruban veggies and
two ways. For them it is a platform for Civic Syn- be healthier.” He has a
subject they learn and a ergy that began this proj- thing for Aruba’s traditional
daily goal in life, for me it is ect two months ago. The veggies and fruits, since he
exercising my job and do- professional caregivers, was a kid.
ing something good for my Concomber chikito in the grow. the couple Shannon and
island at the same time.” Shawn Blankenship from Continued on Page 16