Wishing you all the joys of the season!

Thank you for your interest in Puente and your remarkable support during 2008!

On behalf of the entire team at Puente, we wish you all the joys of the season. We will look forward to keeping you informed of Puente’s progress in advancing the health and well-being of rural families in Oaxaca.

Stories from the Field: Magdalena García Padilla, San Antonino

Magdalena is a 26-year-old mother from San Antonino, Oaxaca.  Lacking opportunities in Oaxaca, Magdalena and her husband immigrated without documents to the United States, where her first two daughters were born. After struggling for a few years with two young children in the United States, it became impossible for Magdalena and her children to stay. While her husband stayed in the United States to work, Magdalena and her daughters decided to return to their community in the southern mountains of Oaxaca. Magdalena’s house, like most homes in her village, is made of adobe with a concrete roof that her family built with the money they had managed to save from their work in the United States. For the most part, Magdalena’s income consists of the remittances that her husband Silvino sends from the United States. In addition, she receives a small supplementary income from agricultural activities, including growing and selling amaranth.

Magdalena feeds her newborn daughter atole (a local beverage made with flour) with amaranth. She worries about her daughter’s health and for this reason she has made sure her baby drinks the amaranth porridge. Magdalena is very excited about the cooking workshops she attended through the Training Farmers project this year. In addition to agricultural techniques, Magdalena is also glad to have learned about cooking with amaranth so she can feed her two older daughters with amaranth dishes other than atole.

Last year, Magdalena told us that it was difficult for her to grow amaranth because her husband was working in the United States. Despite this challenge, she managed to harvest more than 100 pounds of amaranth.  This year she feels confident enough to plant even more amaranth. Her husband Silvino will soon be home and he has expressed interest in continuing the cultivation of their amaranth. Magdalena’s community, like many others, is beginning to plant amaranth in participation with Puente’s project.  In her own words, “Puente teaches us how to plant and harvest amaranth, and even how to sell it.  Before we had to take it all to Zimatlan (a town far from San Atonino) and go from house to house to find someone to buy it.”

Amaranth Pudding Recipe 2 cups amaranth seeds, cooked 1 cup apple juice 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped 1 1/2 tsp vanilla juice of 1/2 lemon grated rind of one lemon dash of cinnamon Combine ingredients in a large sauce pan, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour pudding into individual dessert bowls. Top with a few grapes or strawberries and chill.

Donate While You Shop!   While shopping online, please consider using Goodshop.com to make your purchases. The website lists dozens of popular stores from which to shop, and a small portion of your purchases will be donated to Puente. If you have any questions, please contact us. You can also donate online directly to Puente. Thank you for your support!