Curacao will shine much greener and some of its children will eat much healthier thanks to the completion of a new vegetable garden at the Siloam Orphanage-Hospice in Soto.
Members of the 429th Expeditionary Operations Squadron located at the U.S. Forward Operating location (FOL) at Hato airport teamed up with volunteers from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Diligence and led by the FOL’s Chaplain, Denis Gueu, recently completed the garden.
Dozens of volunteers spent hundreds of hours clearing brush, removing debris, tilling and cultivating the soil, and finally planting the seeds for the garden which will go a long way in making the orphanage-hospice more self-sufficient. The volunteers even installed metal barriers around the garden to keep out local critters that may want to snack on the delicious vegetables at the children’s expense. Eventually the garden will even include its own water irrigation system thanks to a $500 USD donation from United States contributors.
Chaplain Gueu, born and raised in Africa’s Ivory Coast where independence and self-sufficiency is often required for survival, is a firm believer in the benefits of having a garden. The Chaplain, now a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, remarked "It sure looks like a million dollar garden and we want to thank everyone for their contributions whether it was with their time, money, seeds or materials – we just want to say a big „thank you”. We look forward to seeing the plants germinate, grow and produce healthy food for the orphanage".
The 429th Expeditionary Operations Squadron, U.S. FOL, supports multinational aircraft operations that conduct detection, monitoring and tracking missions supporting counterdrug efforts in the region. U.S. military and civilian personnel often volunteer their services in support of community projects and are pleased to partner with local agencies in reaching out to the people of Curacao.