with Rogelio + Agapita

Before partnering with SHI field trainer Jaime Soto, Rogelio Mazariegos and Agapita Oviedo were barely scraping by. Rogelio made a daily wage of 50 lempiras, or approximately 2 US dollars. Rice and beans were their daily fare.

“When I first met Jaime, I didn’t have anything; I was completely stuck,” Rogelio says.

Now, he proudly lists all the different fruit and vegetables decomposing in his compost pit – yuca, banana, papaya, melon, and so much more. What’s more? That compost pit has helped him double, if not triple, his income in the past two years.

He’s started a business selling compost and other organic fertilizers. It’s not just a job; it’s his passion. Today, he has 20 loyal clients, some of whom travel more than half a day to reach him, and dreams of billboards and parking lots which would allow him to continue expanding their business.

“Even at my advanced age,” Rogelio notes with a smirk, “I can prosper.”