Ashoka, the world's community of leading social entrepreneurs, and Staples Foundation for Learning (SFFL), a private foundation created by Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), today announced Pachamama of Tepeolulco, Mexico, as the Excellence Winner of the Staples/Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur global competition. The team was honored during a special ceremony that took place today at Youth Venture's National Summit in Boston, Mass. The global competition recognizes youth who are addressing social issues affecting their communities and is part of Ashoka's Youth Venture(R), a global initiative that identifies and fosters young entrepreneurs who are creating positive change. Juan Carlos Luna Hernandez and Mary Cruz Romero Gudino work with Pachamama, an organization that develops and teaches environmentally friendly alternatives in agriculture. Under the leadership of Juan Carlos and Mary Cruz, Pachamama educates low-income families throughout Tepeolulco, Mexico about optimizing resources to produce organic crops in an environmentally friendly manner. Pachamama developed two interrelating agricultural techniques; Banconejo to produce natural fertilizer from rabbits to enrich the soil, and Tierra Adentro to simplify rainwater recollection for irrigation. They were chosen out of five finalists selected from around the world for their outstanding impact, innovation and potential. As the global excellence winner of the competition, Pachamama will receive a grand prize worth $5,000 to help run their entrepreneurial Venture.

Maricruz in the Award Ceremony