Page 16 - ARUBA TODAY

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LOCALFriday 5 January 2018

Social Entrepreneur James Ocalia in Cooperation with HopeAruba Movement:

‘Sustainable Agriculture for Healthier Locals and Rehabilitated Drug Addicts’

ALTO VISTA - Somewhere my passion: sustainable
uphill in Alto Vista you will agriculture. My goal is to
find a beautiful piece of have locals eating the typi-
land with an old, white, tra- cal Aruban veggies and be
ditional cunucu house on healthier.” He has a thing
it, dating from 1923. Noth- for Aruba’s traditional veg-
ing remarkable about that, gies and fruits, since he was
you might think, as there a kid.
are many of these old aun- “I wrote a book, ‘My favor-
ties scattered around the ite Curacaos and Aruban
island. But this one has an Dishes’, and found myself
amazing background sto- asking my granny how to
ry. Aruba Today visited the prepare traditional dishes
place on a warm, sticky af- with local veggies. We
ternoon where James Oca- need to implement them
lia was working on the land into modern cooking to pre-
with a handful of other men. serve this diamond of cul-
ture. Italians may have their
‘Cas Speransa Nobo’ is the zucchini and tomatoes, but
Aruba has her concomber
name on the sign of the chikito and yambo. Our
generation does not know
old cunucu house. It re- how to cook with our own
veggies, we often are kings
fers to the new hope that in preparing meals coming
from the Italian or other for-
is there for the students of eign gastronomy, but what
about our own culture?”
the rehabilitation program The four students together with their teacher James (second of left). His drive is contagious and
creates a curiosity towards
that is run here. “We call a concomber chikito. The That goes amazingly well. Blankenship from the United the real taste of local gas-
tronomy. “In my opinion
them students rather than pride in their smiling faces In the future we would like States, live on the premises three ingredients are nec-
essary to develop social
drug addicts or clients be- is moving and there is defi- to sell to supermarkets and with their children and work enterprise: the social as-
pect, the environmental
cause they have chosen nitely something magical in hotels.” James works every according to the program aspect and support of
economic pillars, in Aruba’s
to learn another life. Their the air. Maybe it is best de- day on the land with his Teen Challenge. James: case, tourism.”
If you wish to see Cas Spe-
addict life is their past, the scribed as pure: the land, men, from 1 to 5pm. “Two “They are here to set up the ransa Nobo for yourself and
buy some real local crops,
goal is to learn and gradu- the taste of the veggies, of them are above 50 years program for a year and also you are welcome at Alto
Vista 52 between 1 and
old. It is intensive as for me screen the participants. 4pm daily, except for the
weekends.
as it is the first time I work Hope is a movement, a col- Facebook: Goshen Sustain-
able Development Corpo-
with addicts. I started with laboration of foundations, ration VBA.q

this crew two weeks ago companies and volunteers

and already learned that I that sets up social projects

need to be strict and clear. where there is need in so-

They are different in their ciety. People here tend to

approach of life, this is like signal social problems and

teaching life again as you point towards the govern-

do the same to children.” ment, but Hope wants to

act upon themselves and

Cultural Dishes make a difference.”

HopeAruba is a national

platform for Civic Synergy Make a Difference

that began this project two To make a difference is

James Ocalia in the nursery green house. months ago. The profes- where both connect. “I
sional caregivers, the cou- myself want to make a dif-

ate in a new life.” The Aru- the drive of the students ple Shannon and Shawn ference for my island from

ban James explains that he and the sincerity of James

runs his company –Goshen, - all together it is ‘Hope’

which means ‘inundated indeed. On the 7,000m2

land’ - with the help of the land only local crops are

men that are part of the grown: concomber chikito

rehabilitation program. (cucumber), yambo (okra),

“They learn to cultivate lo- bonchi (beans) and pica

cal crops and it works in (hot peppers) form the

two ways. For them it is a main production. But one

subject they learn and a can also find patia (water-

daily goal in life, for me it is melon) and dragon fruit as

exercising my job and do- well as moringa. “But these

ing something good for my are not for commercial use

island at the same time.” yet,” they share.

The plants are seeded and

Fair Harvest grown in the nursery, built

While we are walking on by the students, and when

the land the students are strong enough they are

enthusiastically showing transferred to the land. “So

their plants, inviting Aruba far we sell only to individu-

Today’s journalist to taste als that come to the house. Working on the land.