Seeds of Hope in Morocelí

At seven years old, Genesis lost her hero—her father—in a tragic car accident. Her mother had migrated to Spain a few years earlier in search of better opportunities. In the midst of grief and emptiness, there was someone who shared her pain and didn’t hesitate to step in: her grandfather, Don Antonio.

At home, beans and corn were never missing from the table. Agriculture is the main source of income for families in Morocelí, El Paraíso, and don Antonio was no exception.

“I spent 40 years growing only corn and beans, depending entirely on the rain,” he says. “It was tough economically. I managed to help my children finish high school, but I couldn’t afford university. Almost every year was a struggle. It was frustrating, but we had no other choice.”

There actually was a different choice for them—one they were about to discover.

Something Different Is Growing

World Vision first arrived in the community through its Sponsorship programme, improving classrooms and providing school kits for children, including Genesis, who became a sponsored child. But Sponsorship is just the beginning; when it arrives in a community, many more opportunities soon follow.

On November 7, 2021, Don Antonio and other farmers took a bold step: they formed the Association of Agricultural Producers and Multiple Services of the Valley of Morocelí (APROVAM). Their goal was to protect the Choluteca River and use its water wisely to diversify crops—a dream inspired by World Vision’s THRIVE project.

“With support from World Vision and the Municipality, we began planting vegetables—jalapeño peppers and tomatoes,” Don Antonio recalls. “In our first greenhouse, we planted 4,000 jalapeño plants. We produced 60,000 pounds in nine months and sold them at seven lempiras per pound. We invested about 140,000 lempiras and earned around 420,000. With those profits, we built another tunnel.”

They became part of the 4,654 farmers trained in improved and sustainable agricultural techniques. This training has been fundamental in enabling farmers to increase crop productivity, optimise the use of resources such as water and fertilisers, and significantly reduce losses due to inadequate management or pests.

The results were so encouraging that they soon expanded to other crops considered high-impact value chain products. As the group grew stronger, they completed the first stage of the THRIVE journey and were invited into the next one—THRIVE Plus. For them, it wasn’t just a new programme, but a sign that they were ready for bigger challenges, new skills, and a deeper impact in their community. “With less land, less water, and fewer inputs, we produced three times more,” says Don Antonio. “That motivated us to grow sweet peppers, onions, and sweet corn too.”

The success of their crops had roots strengthened by God.

Cultivating Mind, Heart, and Action

THRIVE goes beyond farming techniques. It aims to transform lives—starting with the Biblical Empowered Worldview, which changes how people think and act. Savings groups strengthen financial skills, and technical assistance and market analysis help farmers identify local opportunities.

“World Vision trained us in Biblical Empowered Worldview, and that changed everything,” Don Antonio explains. “It brought us closer to God, taught us to have a clean heart, to help others, and to work together. Now we’re more united—as a group and as a community.”

The transformation has rippled through Morocelí, becoming part of the impact felt by more than 65,000 people who have embraced the Biblical Empowered Worldview.

“APROVAM has truly embraced the Biblical Empowered Worldview,” says Byron Díaz, Local Market Facilitator for the THRIVE project. “They no longer think individually but collectively. They create jobs and have become agents of change for their community.”

This sense of community could only have come through God’s transformation of their minds.

Reaping the Harvest

The effort of Don Antonio and his group is now bearing fruit beyond what they ever imagined.

“The economic difference is huge,” he says. “Before, I earned about 2,500 lempiras a month. Now I make around 20,000. I can cover my needs, save, and reinvest. We also learned to manage money better and save for emergencies.”

This income increase reflects the overall results reported by THRIVE farmers across Honduras—individually and in groups. Since 2024, they have sold more than 3.2 million dollars in crops. These gains come from farmers who now grow based on market demand, not just tradition.

“World Vision helped us find buyers through a consortium,” Don Antonio explains. “We sell to big supermarkets like Walmart, La Colonia, and the local market. It requires meeting higher safety standards, but we see it as an opportunity to grow.”

The future Don Antonio has built fills his granddaughter with pride. She will be the first in the family to attend college. Génesis dreams of becoming a doctor, yet her deepest bond is rooted in the fields where she has grown up. 

“I’m proud because everything has grown,” says Genesis with a smile. “I like to pick lemons with my grandpa. He taught me that the ripe ones are smooth and the unripe ones are wrinkled. I also help pack the corn—that’s what my dad used to do, and I love helping with it.”

For Genesis, her grandfather is much more than her caretaker.
He’s her hero—and the living proof that when faith and hard work take root, hope grows.