Kitchener-Conestoga Rotarians Visit a Watershed Project of the Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday

On October 31, visiting Rotarians from the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club in Ontario, Canada joined members of the Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday for a tour of one of its projects in rural communities of San Miguel. The Midday Rotary Club has partnered with the organization Salvemos Al Rio Laja on a Watershed Education Program. The Midday Rotary Club is helping to fund the program with the support of the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club and the 49ers Rotary Club of Nevada City, California. The program is building tree and plant nurseries and providing education for children from primary schools to preparatory (high) schools and the parents in their communities. The focus is on planting native, low water consumption plants and trees for soil erosion prevention, rainwater collection, reforestation, food consumption and healthy nutrition through nature-based solutions. The primary school children learn about nature and pollinators through art. The preparatory school students learn to manage their own projects, including building and maintaining the viveros (plant nurseries), starting plants from seeds and cuttings, mulching and composting with lirio (water hyacinth), creating healthy, cost-effective soil, planting native trees and plants for soil erosion prevention, developing rain gardens for rainwater catchment and adapting to climate change. Some of the students have graduated from preparatory school, continued their education at universities and have become facilitators for the Salvemos Al Rio Laja program. 
 
The timing of the visiting Rotarians’ visit to San Miguel was ideal, and they ended their visit with a fun reception to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos with members from Rotary Clubs in Oregon and California and members of the San Miguel-Midday Rotary Club. These Rotary Clubs also provide financial support for the Escuela de Educacion Especial, the school for deaf children in San Miguel.