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Moosa Creek Blog
DEC
4

ON THE BORDER

Finding Susita 0 Comments
In our fourth installment of our blog dedicated to telling you the story of Susita, a young Dominican girl supported by Moosa Creek Nursery, we inform you of changes in our plans and keep you updated with the latest news in the Dominican Republic. Within the last month we’ve been watching as violence escalates on the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. As tensions rise between the two countries we realized security issues are jeopardizing our proposed trip. This violence follows the death of an elderly couple that was murdered during a burglary. A group of Dominicans retaliated against Haitians on the border between the two countries. While we began worrying about our own safety I was reminded that there are hundreds of people that endure this fear and violence every day. This violence is directed to targets solely because of race. This is the type of environment that Susita lives through every day.
While the struggles that I experienced growing up seem so small in comparison to brutality and crippling effects of poverty and racial violence. In this holiday season I think it is important to take a step back and be thankful for all the blessings we have. There is no way for me to imagine the struggles Susita goes through each day but it brings me hope and perseverance to think about her strength.  While the violence in the region has increased and safety is a legitimate concern we are not deterred from our mission and are working hard to share with you the story of Susita. We hope that you will continue to support Moosa Creek Nursery’s mission to bring you the truth about the healing of effects of reforestation in the developing world.  
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OCT
30

Poverty and Trees: connecting the dots

Finding Susita 0 Comments

 This is the 3rd posting in our ongoing journey to meet Susita, the Dominican girl supported by Moosa Creek Nursery.

Today we talk about poverty. 
 
1.3 billion people live in abject poverty. It is estimated that 22,000 children die due to poverty every day. And, more than one billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water. Everyone is affected by poverty. You can’t escape it no matter where you live, what color your skin is, or how you spend your time. “There is no them. Only facets of US.” John Green 
 
Poverty is a problem. But, poverty is a problem we can work to solve. There are hundreds of organizations that give money, food, health care, education, training, and guidance but what about trees? What if trees were the new cure for poverty? Are you dubious? Let me explain. The majority of impoverished people around the world depend on the environment for survival. They depend on plants and animals for food, and natural rivers and streams for clean water. But, with the widespread deforestation and general depletion on our earth’s resources the world’s poor are losing their life line. This is Plant with Purposes mission; “environmental solutions for humanitarian issues”. The nonprofit organization outlines the cycle that combines issues of deforestation and poverty into one massive spiral. Moosa Creek has joined with Plant with Purpose combating poverty one plant, one tree, and one seed packet at a time. 
 
Imagine this example on worldwide, a 1.3 billion person scale. A poor rural family dependent on agriculture begins cutting down trees to make room for crops and provide fuel. The lack of trees leaves an area susceptible to mudslides, topsoil loss and contaminated drinking water sources. The loss of topsoil creates barren, nutrient-lacking ground. Crops aren’t able to grow. Rains become irregular and wells begin to dry up. A family’s source of income, sustenance, and support is destroyed. 
 
So, back to our new cure for poverty. Trees. Plant with Purpose has worked for years on the root causes of poverty. Their strategy reverses the spiral of poverty and ensures that communities thrive through environmental restoration, sustainable agricultural training, savings and loan micro-finance, church mobilization, and local leadership. This is where you come in. With each purchase of Moosa Creek’s Plant of the Month or seed packet a donation is generated to Plant with Purpose, which begins the process of healing areas of the developing world.
 
Through restoration, nitrogen-fixing trees add nutrients to the soil, fruit trees help provide a source of nutrition and income, and restored forests help create longevity and improved biodiversity. Farmers are taught hillside farming-which decreases the amount of topsoil loss and can act as a natural irrigation system as runoff is appropriately channeled. Agro-foresting, a method of farming that helps increase the health of an ecosystem by planting native plants around the crops, and bio intensive gardening, a process that focuses on maximizes the surface area in order to increase crop yield and minimize the amount of water needed, are all integrated. 
 
In many rural communities where individuals don’t have access to financial support loan sharks devastate families with excessive interest rates. Instead, in Susita's village, and others like hers, Plant with Purpose helps villagers set up Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) to provide a financial safety net. This sustainable,  locally organized form of microfinance trains groups of individuals to work together to save their money and create loan groups in order to develop small businesses, invest in their farms, and send their children to school. 
 
Since the health of the community is intrinsically linked with the spiritual health of a community Plant with Purposes provides spiritual support to communities, churches, and individuals. Equipping and the leaders of the community to meet the needs of the people using local resources and solutions. 
 
Plant with Purpose is at the forefront, working to solve one of the most destructive illness' our planet has ever seen; poverty. They combine environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, economic security and community development to help restore the lives of impoverished families in Susita's village and all over the world. Moosa Creek is so excited to be a part of the Plant with Purpose’s work. Proud that WE can help bring the cure to poverty to people all over the world.   
 
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OCT
5

Finding Susita-Aquaintances

Finding Susita 0 Comments

 Last month we told you of our plans to travel to the Dominican Republic in order to meet and talk to Susita, a young girl whom Moosa Creek Nursery, a local grower of California Native plants, has had the opportunity to support over the last few years. In 2008, when Moosa Creek Nursery began their partnership with Plant with Purpose, Su and Hank were given the picture of a young girl about 12 years old. This young girl is Susita.  This month we wanted to describe to you where she lived, the history of her country, and the story of her people. 

The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country on the island of Hispaniola. Like many Caribbean islands the Dominican Republic is known for its stunning beaches, exotic ecosystem, and unique culture. Its pristine sand beaches are framed by a lush landscape supported by warm, damp conditions. As expected, the landscape drastically differs from the native chaparral that we are used to. The green native palms, tall lush grasses, and brightly colored flowers native to the Dominican Republic wouldn’t last long in the hills of California. Regular evening thunderstorms and plenty of rains provide these water thirsty plants plenty of nourishment. The Californian climate however creates a landscape of unique, hardy, and beautiful natives perfectly adapted to our climate. Having experienced the breathtaking beauty of California natives myself; in both my parent’s business, Moosa Creek Nursery and the hillsides around my home, finding any other ecosystem as beautiful seems impossible. To some the Dominican landscape may seem idyllic, but for Susita it is quite another story.
 
In 1492 Columbus stumbled upon the island of Hispaniola. Claiming the island for the Spanish crown a prosperous plantation economy was soon established and the first European settlement in the west quickly became a thriving investment for the Spanish. Like many plantation economies the success of the settlement was based on the labor of the native people and imported African slaves. The introduction of foreign pathogens and the harsh treatment by Spanish slave masters massacred much of the native population through disease and starvation By 1697 the Spanish began losing control over their colonies and ceded the western half of the island, modern day Haiti, to the French. Haiti eventually became the first republic founded by freed slaves, but the two neighbors have had an antagonistic relationship that continues on the border today. A brief occupation of the Dominican Republic by Haiti resulted in strong feelings of hatred based on race. In 1877 the Dominicans successfully overthrew the Haitians’ rule. From this point on deep-seeded resentment has been wedged between the two peoples. 
 
Susita, a descendant of the African slaves, is considered by the Dominican ruling elite, to be of a lower class than the individuals descended from the Spanish elite or even the mulattos; individuals of mixed race. Approximately 75% of the population of the Dominican Republic is mixed race while about 17% is white. Many Dominican people refuse to acknowledge their African roots, associating with only their Spanish ancestry. Since the Dominican revolution, a number of conflicts have occurred between the two cultures leaving thousands dead. For this reason, the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is a very tumultuous and violent area. Matters are made worse by the economic inequality in the two countries. While the economy of the Dominican Republic grew and flourished, the Haitian economy dwindled under political strife and instability subjecting its people to devastating poverty. Because of the difference in economic prosperity, many Haitians attempted to move to the Dominican Republic in order to find employment. Haitians became migrant workers in the Dominican Republic, becoming the lowest paid members of society. This economic trend increased the amount of prejudice toward the Haitian people. Now, many rural villages in the Dominican Republic are populated by the lower class descendants of slaves.  
Such is the case in the small village of Angel Feliz in the Independencia province just inside the Dominican border. This small farming village has deep Haitian influences as many of the rural farmers speak the Haitian language, Creole, as opposed to Spanish, the national language of the Dominican Republic. It is this village that Susita calls home. 
 
Angel Feliz, typical of most rural villages inhabited by Haitian-Dominicans depend on subsistence farming. Unfortunately in many cases farmers aren’t able to produce enough crops to support their needs. In the absence of alternative cooking and heating methods, villages like Angel Feliz began cutting down trees for firewood. This deforestation causes a multitude of problems; including mudslides, resulting in water contamination and the loss of topsoil, making it much harder to grow crops. The cycle of poverty continues, food insecurity is prevalent, and many children are prevented from receiving an adequate education. Many young girls are married early to ease the burden on their families but this most certainly ends all of their education. In Susita’s case, it is very likely that she is married today at the young age of 16. Although education is free in the Dominican Republic many young scholars from impoverished areas aren’t able to further their education as the system encourages the upper and middle class students to attend University. These poorer students are not prepared for the rigor of a secondary education and rarely pass to attend university. 
 
Plant with Purpose has demonstrated that addressing the issue of reforestation can stop this cycle of poverty. Our mission is to discover whether the chain of events that begins with your purchase of a native plant and Moosa Creek Nursery's support of the Plant with Purpose program has impacted the life of Susita, the village of Angel Feliz and the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic. We vow to bring that story back to you. 
 
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AUG
21

Finding Susita- Beginnings

Finding Susita 0 Comments

 An increasing number of US countries have pledged to become socially responsible. The term can be applied liberally to any company that takes full responsibility for its activities which surpass areas of pure economic interest. Companies such as Microsoft, Starbucks, and Ben and Jerry’s all claim to be socially responsible. These companies donate millions, pay extra for fair trade goods, and support multiple organizations in communities across the country. It is hard to argue that these companies aren’t being socially responsible, at the least they demonstrate an acute social interest. But, these are all companies worth billions of dollars. Can a small company truly be called socially responsible? And, can that company make any permanent or lasting change to our world?

Like many small businesses Moosa Creek Nursery wanted to claim social responsibility and start using their company to positively impact the surrounding community and more ambitiously, the world. Moosa Creek was started in 2004 as the brainchild of Hank and Su Kraus. The business started as what seemed like a family project as I, along with my three other siblings, was often aroused in the early morning to help build shade houses, clear pots, or weed the few yet well-cared for plants. Hank and Su have always had a passion to help those less fortunate and have supported many different charities throughout their life, so it was natural for them to build a business around improving the world. Their passion for native plants led them to invest their earnings in charities protecting the environment through restoration. 
 
Then, in 2008 Moosa Creek began their partnership with Plant with Purpose, a Christian organization whose mission is to help revive the lives of families and communities through sustainable agricultural training, land restoration, savings-led microfinance, church mobilization, and local leadership. When Moosa Creek first began supporting Plant with Purpose, Hank and Su wanted to personalize their involvement and were given the name and picture of a young girl named Susita. Her village of Angel Feliz is on the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti and suffers from abject poverty. She has been the spark that ignited the fire behind Moosa Creek’s continued involvement with Plant with Purpose.
 
Like many small companies, Moosa Creek wants to see the impact their donations they have had; to see how they’ve affected people like Susita. A personal curiosity has grown to know what has happened to the girl named Susita. Where, what, how? Longing to see if her life has been changed for the better. And that, brings us to our mission: to find Susita. See her, speak to her; to share our compassion with her, our hope for her future, and to tell the world that a difference can be made in someone’s life.
 
So, who will carry out Moosa Creek’s mission? I, Sophia, the third daughter of Hank and Su and Laura, my best friend. We’re so excited for the opportunity to take part in this adventure and share the joy, anticipation, and burden of embarking on this journey with you through this monthly blog. We will bring you updates and describe the story of the lives of the people we meet and provide an honest evaluation of Moosa Creek’s impact on the people and land of the Dominican Republic. 
We are young, courageous, and thirsty for the truth. Friends connected by a mutual sense of curiosity, a sense of longing to see the world and change the world. A need to find the truth about our planet and the truth about how we can leave the world a better place than when we arrived.
 
Next summer, we will be travelling to the Dominican Republic in search of truth. We want to tell you the story of Susita. And maybe we won’t be able to tell that story. Maybe we will tell another story. Or maybe there will be no story to tell. Whatever happens, we will tell the truth. 
 
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