The North Carolina Peace Corps Association (NCPCA) is proud to announce its recent support of a transformative education project led by Peace Corps Volunteer Matthew Coleman through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) grant.
Matthew, a native of Jacksonville, NC, served as a Health and Wellbeing Promoter in Ecuador beginning in 2023. Attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, he worked with farming groups across Pastaza Province to develop food sovereignty and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices in rural communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The largest group Matthew worked with was La Escuela del Campo, a women-led collective of farmers and entrepreneurs in Moravia, a rural neighborhood classified as a food desert. Escuela del Campo provided organic vegetables to local residents while also serving as a source of income for women in a community where only 33% of working-age residents were gainfully employed. Without an enclosed growing space, however, crops were regularly affected by heavy rains, pests, and rapid temperature changes, limiting yields and reducing the group’s revenue.
Through this PCPP grant, Matthew secured funding for the construction of a greenhouse for Escuela del Campo. The structure protected crops from the elements, improved yields, and helped establish the group as a more stable and sustainable source of income for its participants.
