Stories of Hope
Doing Hope in... Nicaragua

Words: 
Katie Hagley

Photography:
Clive Horsman
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Amos Trust works with local partner CEPAD to identify communities and work with them to promote food security, women's empowerment, community leadership and climate adaptation.

As part of their support around climate adaptation, the communities learn about water harvesting, new drought-tolerant crops and are given training in sustainable agricultural techniques. We are now in the third year of working with the current 7 communities on a 5-year programme to build community sustainability.

Harvesting: Growing drought-tolerant crops
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Building sustainable communities

Alongside this emergency work CEPAD has continued to work on the longer-term programmes within the communities, supporting and training people like Eyling and Jefry.

Eyling is 32 years old and is a single mother. She lives in El Aguacate with her 3 boys aged 9, 11 and 12. She is a member of CEPAD’s Development Programme for Women (WDP) and has benefited from 6 training workshops and 2 microloans of $200 each, which she has used to start a small bakery that is already making a profit.

She works alongside 5 other members of the WDP in her community sharing ideas and using some of their earnings to help other vulnerable women in the community. Her dream is to build a house and open a grocery store in the future. 

Long-term: Support and training in the community
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“The business has been blessed and is in great demand in the community. I already have my regular customers and I also go to the school to sell even more. Before CEPAD came with this programme, my family’s diet was very limited. On a personal level, as a woman, I feel empowered, happy and motivated. I share my experiences with single women in the community so that women can get ahead.”

Jefry is 22 and lives in El Jazmin with his parents. He is part of the Community Council and has benefited from CEPAD’s training in new farming techniques. This led him to diversify the crops grown on his father’s land and Jefry now produces a much wider variety of fruit and vegetables.

He is passing on his learning, to help the community to identify and communicate their needs and to train others in agricultural techniques. His dream is to raise enough money to buy his own plot and to resume his agronomy studies. 

Farming techniques: Produces a wider variety of fruit and vegetables
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“Now we have a better diet, producing and consuming fruits, roots, and vegetables. I have a plot with 20 different crops, a water reservoir with a capacity of 100 gallons, knowledge — theoretical and practical, and recognition by the community as a small agronomist.

Now I am sharing what I have learned and multiplying it with the families of the community. We are harvesting papaya, tomato, yuca and squash, which we are consuming and sharing with community neighbours.”

Recovery from the storms

2023 was a challenging year for CEPAD. The impacts of Climate Change were evident as they continued to grapple with the effects of Hurricane Julia and Tropical Storm Bonnie, both of which occurred in 2022.

To help communities to recover, CEPAD was able to provide 1,345 families with food aid, hygiene kits and psychosocial support to address the emotional damage caused by the huge losses that accompany natural disasters, as well as building 87 shelters.
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Climate & Gender Fellowship 2024

Finally, we are really excited that CEPAD will be able to be a part of delivering Amos Trust’s Climate and Gender Fellowship programme for 2024. We are currently recruiting up to 12 young activists working on climate and gender from Mexico and Central America to take part in this year-long fellowship.

As part of the fellowship they will receive financial support for their projects, training on how to run local community activities and the opportunity to collaborate and share with other activists in the region. They will also spend time in Nicaragua learning from CEPAD’s 50 years of experience. You can read more about the Climate & Gender Fellowship here.

Read more about CEPAD.
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