High in the mountains of Honduras, Mauricio wakes up each day at dawn to watch the sunrise. He walks out into the mist that blankets his small plot of land and marvels at how his life has changed in just two years.

Only a few years ago, Mauricio was sharing a two-room, dirt-floor, wood shanty with his parents and nine siblings. He owned a tiny plot of land on which he farmed coffee using the most rudimentary methods. One day, Mauricio learned about a Model Farm Program sponsored by Fundación Banhcafé ("Funbanhcafé"), one of The Resource Foundation's affiliates, which is dedicated to promoting socioeconomic development in Honduras' coffee-growing communities.

"I started going to training sessions offered by Funbanhcafé. I learned to make and use compost and to plant shade trees and other plants to protect the soil from erosion. I also learned about crop rotation to enrich the soil and provide better food for my family. Now I can also sell the extra produce that I harvest to make money," Mauricio explains.

"At first it was hard. I had to leave my land to attend classes. I stopped going to school after sixth grade, but I felt that these sessions would be valuable ... and they were. They were both practical and theoretical, and it was easy to pick up techniques by practicing."

Funbanhcafé saw tremendous potential in Mauricio and provided him with his first microloan of 500 lempiras (US$35) to buy organic fertilizer. Two years later, Mauricio has doubled the size of his little farm. He has built two concrete homes with floors, one for himself near his plot and one for his family closer to town, so that his siblings can attend school. He recently received his third loan for 3,000 lempiras (US$211). In addition to supporting his family, Mauricio volunteers as a Model Farm Program instructor, helping others build better lives for themselves just as he has.

Read other stories about the impact of projects supported by The Resource Foundation.