54-year-old Gerardo Perfecto Moreno has called the community of Valle los Morenos home for 7 years. He currently lives in the rural community with his wife and grandson.
Gerardo’s life has been characterized by hard work. Being the second child in a family of 10 children, Gerardo was no stranger to household chores. His adult life has been dedicated to farming and farm machinery maintenance. When he couldn’t make ends meet, he worked at a shrimp farm as a contracted day laborer.
Three years ago, one of Gerardo’s 10 siblings, Oscar, told him about the Amigos for Christ pig project and the blessing that it had been for his family. Oscar hired Gerardo to help him build his pig nursery that would safely house his pigs.
“While building Oscar’s pig pen, I realized how much income this project had generated for my brother. I decided to save the money I was earning in construction to start my OWN pig farm.”
Gerardo“With the little extra money that we saved, my wife and I started to raise pigs. We raised them from birth, fattened them up, and then sold them. We usually had 2-3 piglets at a time, and we were able to make a little extra money.”
When Amigos for Christ began adding new beneficiaries to the pig project, Gerardo asked if he could be a participant in project. “The Amigos team interviewed me and 8 other candidates and chose me to be a beneficiary in this project. The project provides me with the necessary infrastructure and technical assistance that I need to be successful. I now have pens, food, and medicine for 22 pigs. The technical assistance from Amigos has been a constant and has helped so much. They always provide expertise and advice about the feeding, care and health of the animals.” Gerardo has learned so much about how to care for pigs, and he is immensely grateful.
“The first cycle of the project lasted about 2 months, and I was able to make C$24,000, or about $700, in profit from selling pigs.” Gerardo is now in the next cycle and raising 24 piglets. Soon, he will sell these pigs for an even greater profit! From 3 years ago with just a small pig pen and 2 piglets, joining this project has stabilized Gerardo’s income. He hopes to be debt free when he completes the next cycle.
“I dream that I can send my grandson to study at a good school, and that I can grow this business to have 2 whole pig nurseries – one for raising pigs to sell to butchers and the other for reproducing more pigs myself. This way, I can have the whole cycle that I learned (reproduction, growth, sales, repeat) all in my own business! This way I can really increase my income for my family.”
Gerardo has lived his life toiling day after day in different work to provide an income and security for his family. Now he feels he has found a stable project that will ensure a bright future for his family. “My brother, Oscar Hernandez, was the light and hope that God placed in my path. Thanks to him, I have this amazing opportunity, one that has transformed the life of my whole family.”
