- 58 civil society organizations were awarded US$3.06 million in grant finance
- 92 subprojects supported community initiatives, benefiting 20,365 Sint Maarteners
- Activities improved health practices, neighborhoods, youth engagement, and education
- 67 training sessions developed civil society organizations’ staff skills
Healing Through Farming
After losing his grandmother to cancer, young Sint Maarten farmer Denicio Wyatt struggled to find direction. In 2006, while in Holland, he attempted suicide and later developed epilepsy due to oxygen loss to the brain. During a trip to Curacao for an MRI, roadside juice smoothie stands caught his attention—something missing back home. Inspired, he built a hut in front of his house where he sold smoothies, and it soon became popular.
People asked if he planted his fruits, an idea he had not considered. Local community bias said that nothing could be planted on Sint Maarten’s rocky soils. But after his stepfather bought and planted seeds from Green Fingers garden center, he got a bountiful harvest three months later—eggplant, broccoli, seasoned pepper, and bell pepper—all grown in his own front yard. The success sparked Denicio’s interest in farming, leading him to explore how to grow healthy plants.
Planting Seeds of Change
Denicio founded the Educating, Cultivating, and Outreaching St. Maarten Foundation, or ECO SXM, in St. Peters to cultivate growing food and encourage farmers in the local agricultural sector. To support his innovative idea, he applied for support from Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR), the local name for the Sint Maarten Trust Fund’s Civil Society Partnership Facility for Resilience Project (CSPFRP), implemented by VNGI. R4CR’s program included a grant scheme to fund community and social rehabilitation initiatives on Sint Maarten.
ECO SXM was one of 28 sub-project proposals submitted in the sixth round of the R4CR Call for Proposals. The organization received a US$70,000 grant to build a greenhouse that grows local produce and serves as a training facility for aspiring farmers and horticulturists. Growing food locally reduces dependence on external supply chains, ensuring a more stable and accessible food source during crises and supporting the local economy.
As part of the grant program, ECO SXM received training in project reporting, financial management, stakeholder communication, and other key areas to ensure success and sustainability.
“That’s why I like R4CR. They provide resources for community resilience—education and finances—the two main pillars for a sustainable community. They provide guidance in financial management, project management, community assessment, and grant writing.”
— Denicio Wyatt, Eco Farmer, Spaceless Gardens, Sint Maarten
Growing Food and Knowledge
Denicio and his team set up a 40 x 20 sq ft greenhouse sub-divided in traditional and advanced technology with grow towers and tables. The produce from the gardens is harvested for home consumption, and the extra is sold or shared with vulnerable persons in the community. The community garden has grown into an agricultural foundation that educates the community on plants, seedlings, slips, fertilizers, and organic pesticides—whatever resources a farmer needs to successfully carry out a project.
Denicio says, “We never got a chance to tap into resources in the government because none of us knew how, we never even knew where to find the documentation. Organizations like R4CR in the community help us come together and mobilize other organizations with a united purpose.”
Although R4CR closed in March 2025, its legacy lives on through grassroots organizations like ECO SXM, leading the charge toward a brighter future. The skills and support gained through the project have strengthened civil society, helping it to tackle the challenges that lay ahead.