The Phoenix Projects have always been 100% reliant on donations and fundraising. Over the past few years we have been investing in sustainable income-generating plans which will ultimately make all the projects self-sustainable financially whilst creating employment and income in the communities.
The plans are predominantly managed and run by the local women. Depending on funding we plan to continue investing in these plans over the coming years.
Over 350 families have benefited from our sustainable income plans meaning their children’s secondary school, college and university costs can be sustainably covered in the future. We plan to increase this number substantially over the next two years.
Plan Moo
The purchase of milk-producing cows was started in Ecuador in 2008 and introduced in Guatemala in 2013. It provides a micro-business and income for many of our families as well as income for the schools.
Plan Costura
Started in 2015 in Guatemala, buying large weaving looms for “cortes” (the indigenous traditional dresses) and investing in training for the women. In 2019 a sewing business was started for single mothers at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.
Plan Negocio
Introduced in 2013 this plan provides seed capital to families and our graduating students for them to invest in their own business ideas. It is similar to micro-loans though the interest is paid back into the running costs of the schools.
Plan Huerta
Investing in seeds, fencing and fertilizer to start crop-cycles with the income reinvested into further crops, wages and the schools. Introduced in Ecuador in 2012, Honduras and Guatemala in 2015 and Perú in 2022.
Plan Pollo
Investing in a quantity of chickens, feed and coops with the income from egg sales and meat shared between the families and the school costs each month. This was started in 2014 in Guatemala and 2015 in Ecuador and Honduras.
Plan Café
Launched in Honduras in 2010 by planting thousands of coffee bushes on land in Barbasco. A percentage of the yield will go to cover project costs and a percentage to local labour costs and maintenance of the coffee plantation.
Plan Cuy
Rearing and selling guinea pigs to help cover further education costs. A cuy house has to be built first to protect the guinea pigs from the elements, with separate sections during mating. This was started in 2011 in Ecuador.
Plan Tilapia
Started in Honduras in 2015 large ponds are excavated for fish farming. The fish are bought as fry and then sold in the local markets with proceeds being split between reinvestment, the community and the school.
We have planted hundreds of thousands of trees in Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Perú since 2003 in our effort to reforest huge areas and help the fight against climate change.
If you want to get involved in any of the implementation processes on the ground, please let us know.
