Invested $5 million dollars in an equal Joint Venture with Coca-Cola to fund FrutaBol in Bolivia and investing an additional $5 million dollars to setup TomateBol. Both factories will be the largest Juice Pulp factories in Bolivia which will process 100 tons per day of Mango and 150 tons per day of Tomatoes to hit 250 tons per day, 1,500 tons per week, 6,000 tons per month and 72 thousand tons per
year for both lines. We plan on adding 4 extra lines every year in Bolivia to keep up with an unexpected high demand in Chile, Tunisia, South Africa, China and Brazil cause 90% of all pulp is already headed for export. Construction of our new plant is almost complete and we will be launching in the 2nd quarter of 2014 with 80% of our annual production already pre-sold to those international markets. The good news is that since I'm in the board of directors and I've been offered to step up as President, I was able to convince my partners to purchase all Mango, Pineapple, Oranges and Tomatoes planted by homeless children who joined Planting Hope. That would guarantee that none of those fruits will ever go to waste as 35% of the fruits in Bolivia and all those children who started planting 10 seeds every Saturday with me will be out of poverty by the time they turn 18. I will then coach them how to help another 100 children who were in their same situation make $50,000 too in 5 years and he/she will make his/her 1st million dollars by keeping 20% of all the kids he helped as an Investor. I started Planting Hope investing $10,000 at Don Bosco Homeless Shelter to purchase seeds, black sand, humus, organic fertilizers, wheelbarrows and shovels for the pilot program. I really had no idea what I was doing but all I knew was that I wanted to help those homeless children get out of poverty. I wasn't sure if they would be willing to do the work but the only way to find out was by simply doing it. The first step was the hardest but once I took it, all kinds of opportunities opened up. The 1st day, I asked the kids what they were going to do with the first $100 dollars they were gonna make. Another kid said he would buy a house. I asked where I could buy houses for $100 cause I wanted to buy them by the dozens and they all laughed. And then came Wilson, a tiny 5 year old boy, who said he would buy more seeds and connected all the dots in my head. I consider myself a brilliant man but Wilson is a genius cause even I didn't think of that. What Wilson didn't realize is that he helped me solve all my problems and now I knew how the program was going to become sustainable. Half of all profits would always have to be reinvested so no extra funds will be required to keep the program going for years to come. I told Wilson in front of all the kids who joined Planting Hope that he was a genius and he didn't need to reinvest his money the 1st year cause I was the investor and his partner who believed in him. However, thanks to his idea, now we can keep the program running forever if we only reinvest half of all the profits in seeds or helping others. Little did I know that this would motivate them even more and that's when I realized that hope was just around the corner for each and every single one of them! It has been a month and we have 100 kids at Don Bosco Homeless Shelter who have joined the pilot program which is already a success. Their dedication is my biggest motivation and there's no turning back. Now that I know this works, I have put aside $50,000 to finance Planting Hope all 2014. Might not seem like a lot but in a country where a police officer makes $200 per month, those $50k will be enough so I can prove to the world that if we learn to work together, we can end poverty at home and earn 10x more! Father Ottavio who runs 30 Homeless Shelters in Bolivia met with me the week before the program started. He told me he was so happy that God had sent me his way but in reality, it was my sister Ana Carola and my best friend Daniela Chavez who inspired me to help the kids at Don Bosco. Perhaps, God also had something to do with it and I will always be thankful for it. Then father Ottavio told me something I would never forget after I said I wanted to buy land near the city so we can expand the program. He told me I did not have to spend a penny buying land cause he had 20 hectares in Montero and 400 hectares in San Carlos, which happens to be the Mecca of Mango plantations in Bolivia. He then told me that my program would only fail if I give up but I promised him that will never happen as long as I am alive. The 2nd week, the owner of Hotel Camino Real heard what I was doing from one of her employees that taught me how to plant. She asked him to please tell me that she wanted me to pick her up on Saturdays cause she wanted to go with me. So I did and she was a big help opening up my eyes. She taught me that I should not tell people yet about my program until it was a success cause some will try to dishonor it and say I'm taking advantage of the kids. She also advised me to get legal counseling cause this program would be bigger than I imagined and so I did with 5 law firms which one of them includes well known Dr. Agustin Zambrana. She was right on the spot and to be honest, I'm not sure I would have listened until she said she would double my funds to start Planting Hope at a Santa Cruz Shelter which she has been helping for years. So I did and I'm glad cause now I'm protected and my system is in the process of being patented cause those who do not follow the rules, will not be part of Planting Hope. The 3rd week my cousin Santiago Montero told me I should visit his hometown of Santiago de Chiquitos to expand in Santa Cruz cause there was no way Planting Hope could fail there. I listened to him and went there with an open mind. He introduced me to the Mayor there and she was so impressed by what we were doing that she offered to speak with all 3 local schools so children could join Planting Hope. She gave me 1 hectare to start planting with the kids and offered to give me 200 hectares after we finish planting the 1st hectare through a government program called INRA in Santiago de Chiquitos and 200 hectares in Robore which is the main city in that region. In the 4th week when I thought things couldn't get any better, a close friend from Beni told me that he wanted to eliminate poverty in his city with my help and he believed in my program so much that he would allow me to use the 10,000 hectares he has there and send me his private plane once a week so I can fly there and help the kids in Beni get out of poverty. He also offered to cover all my expenses and that's when I realized Planting Hope was taking off! The past 4 weeks have been the most amazing weeks of my life and I have to thank my parents, my sisters, close friends and especially Nelson Mandela for giving me the strength to start this through his quotes. You see, when I 1st started Planting Hope, people at home mocked me cause they said it would be impossible to end poverty with $10,000 and they were right. However, now that I know how to end poverty at home by investing only $50,000 with Don Bosco Home Shelter, I realized that Nelson Mandela who passed away today was also right cause what I wanted to achieve seemed impossible, until it was done! Some people told me I should teach everyone about my program but if I can help more people become millionaires, the quicker we will be able to end poverty at home to achieve one of Nelson Mandela's dreams. You see, overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It's an act of justice that we should all be part of. It's the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a descent life. We have an opportunity here to give all people that right if we simply work together. There is no reason why everyone who plants or helps kids plant can't become a millionaire so forget everything you were taught in school cause the best way of helping yourself, is helping others!
