Train 3 Building Instructors for Apache Builds

HSP’s partnership with the White Mountain Apache tribe in eastern Arizona in 2018 has continued to mature and expand.  In June we facilitated a group of more than 40 volunteers who came together from Virginia and Arizona to support the expansion of N’dee Bikiyaa, the ‘People’s Farm’ at Canyon Day.  The tribe continues to refurbish this organic farm with strong results.   Some of our project highlights include:

• Completion of a passive solar green house for the tribe’s use during the winter.  We completed the interior painting and exterior stucco work, and finished the electrical work to make the greenhouse a fully functioning facility

• Construction of a ‘cool bot’ room to store harvested vegetables and fruit before delivery to schools and markets.  This included fitting out an existing room with thick insulation and refrigeration to keep the room at a cool 55 degrees throughout the year.

• Initial construction of a large hoop house that will double the size of the farm’s ability to protect vegetables such as leafy greens (e.g., lettuces, bok choi, kale), tomatoes, and peppers from the intense summer heat of Arizona.  

We also continued to partner with the tribe to conduct a summer camp for children ages 6-12 on the reservation.  This year we had more than 50 children attend our 4-day camp, which included a program of music, art, and sports related to themes of identity, self-worth, team work, and empowerment.

We have more projects to complete and expand in the coming months, including construction of a vegetable and fruit wash house and a second hoop house on the farm, as well as additional summer camps in the summer of 2019.

Dear Apache Builds Partners,

While we are thousands of dollars away from our goal to train three White Mountain Apache tribal members in sustainable building techniques, we are busy laying the foundations for a sustainable future with our Ndée partners.

During the month of June, HSP volunteers worked on infrastructure improvements for the Ndée Bikíyaa organic produce farm in Canyon Day on the White Mountain Apache Reservation. This tribal social enterprise functions to educate tribal members about organic farming, healthy nutrition, and greater sovereignty through food resiliency.

HSP volunteers installed a cool-bot room, a kind of walk-in refrigerator to store produce, upgraded electrical circuits and installed lighting, fans, sensors in the office, greenhouse, and pumphouse. The team completed exterior stucco work on a passive solar greenhouse, painted the interior with reflective paint. The volunteers also completed the drywall, vapor barrier installation, stucco and electrical for a critical pump house constructed by HSP the previous year. The big project was the construction of a massive hoop house to extend growing season for late fall vegetable production.

During the month of June, a greater analysis was completed concerning appropriate design and locally sourced materials. It was decided that rather than a straw bale and cob technique, it would be a better option to utilize adobe brick as the building foundation. In addition to excellent clay that can be sourced locally, the technique is one that has been used by cultures in the region for centuries.

The team of Ndée Bikíya also decided that they would prefer to travel to Guatemala to learn masonry and adobe making techniques from master Maya builder that utilize centuries-old techniques that have proven to withstand the test of time. While not rejecting the valuable contribution of contemporary sustainability efforts, the consensus was that returning to regional roots was more in line with the mission and vision of the enterprise.

Plans have been made for members of the tribe to travel to Guatemala in February 2019 during the dry season, and hence the adobe making time. In addition to learning about traditional masonry, participants will be sharing horticulture knowledge with highland communities and learning about the strong cooperative movement in many Indigenous communities of Guatemala.

If you are interested in joining with the Apache participants on their learning journey, we are offering donors of $1,500.00 through our Global Giving Apache Builds page an all expense included trip. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE.

Thank you for your role in laying the foundations for a sustainable future.

Links:

• Support the Apache Builds Program
• Donate $1,500.00 and join the delegation to Guatemala