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.