Spring 2015
You Transformed Lives in Santa Maria
ity here and couldn’t get answers from the government,” Antonio said. “One year after CEPAD
came, the project was underway. In 2013, we
turned the lights on for the first time.”
This change has rippled around the village.
Once Maria Ramirez got electricity at home, she
saved money to buy a refrigerator and now she
has a business to sell ice creams and cold drinks.
“It’s a little money that goes a long way for
us,” Maria said. “Plus, now I don’t have to carry
water to my house. I can just turn on the electric
water pump.”
In most of Santa Maria, getting water is as easy as
flipping a switch after a successful petition to the
local government brought electricity to the community. Your support brought light to these families, and
they’re so thankful.
It’s hard to remember quite how tough things were
in Santa Maria five years ago, said community leader
Antonio Hernandez. They lacked electricity and water,
and the condition of the road made it impossible for
vehicles like ambulances to enter.
Life is different now. When CEPAD arrived in
Santa Maria, they formed a Community Development
Committee to seek support from the local government
and NGOs. After CEPAD’s training, they began work
to make their infrastructure goals a reality.
“We had been trying for three years to get electric-
Inside:
Page 2:
Learn more about the
impact of drought in the
last 12 months.
Leaders have also repaired the school, improved the road and installed a public well in the
outskirts of the village that don’t yet have electricity.
“Bit by bit, we are making changes to get
out of extreme poverty,” Antonio said. “Our
next goal is to have cleaner water.”
Your support for community leadership development means your investment goes even farther — the
village achieves its goals and has skills to pursue others
they haven’t even thought of before. In 2014 alone, you
made miracles happen. Villages completed 24 successful projects such as repairing roads, building roofs and
distributing emergency food supplies. No matter what
2015 brings, thanks to your support, people in 42 Nicaraguan villages have the tools to be ready for anything.
Page 2:
We need your help for our
women’s programs to
succeed. Will you join us?
Page 3:
Get to know Alexander
and Dorys, leaders in new
partner village Santa Fe.
In Emergencies, CEPAD Is There
Top: Drought left fields barren in Mesa Sur,
Matagalpa. Bottom: Hermelinda Urbina shows
off her new water tank in Nacoscolo, San Jose.
Drought struck Nicaragua in 2014 like never
before. Every month saw 20 to 50 percent less
rainfall than normal, and the effects were devastating. In the driest parts of Nicaragua, which
includes most of CEPAD’s partner communities,
the lack of rainfall contributed to a drop in crop
production of up to 75 percent.
We can’t change the weather, but we can
respond! In partnership with ACT Alliance and
Episcopal Relief and Development, CEPAD provided irrigation and water collection tools, food
and seeds to more than 600 families.
Hermelinda Urbina in the community Nacoscolo was among the first to receive an emergency food packet and a new water tank to collect
water and irrigate her farm.
“We haven’t had a good harvest in two
years, and we couldn’t have survived without
CEPAD,” she said. “Thanks to CEPAD we
have food to eat until it starts to rain in May.”
Thank you for your prayers and donations
for Nicaraguans fighting drought. With your help,
we’ll be with them every step of the way.
Your Donations Help Women Grow
Today, CEPAD and the women of Nicaragua need your help to kick off a new project to train
150 women to grow fruit and vegetable gardens. Can you donate now to help us hold the first
training, where women will plan their plots and start planting seeds?
We need to raise $3,500 to carry out a succesful program. These gardens will improve nutrition for families, provide income for women, and create healthier communities. Please donate today! Send a check using the attached envelope or visit cepadnica.org to find our Razoo fundraising
page. Thank you from the women of Nancital, Teustepe for all you do to support CEPAD!
Santa Fe Dreams Big With CEPAD
CEPAD has begun work in 42
new villages around Nicaragua.
In Santa Fe, Nueva Guinea, leaders have high expectations for
what they can achieve with CEPAD’s collaboration in areas
like pastoral training and women’s economic development.
In Santa Fe, Nueva Guinea, community leaders wiggle with anticipation. They
are just beginning a five-year process of
accompaniment with CEPAD. They’re not
quite sure what to expect, but they are ready
to push the opportunity to its fullest. They
are now organized into the four different
areas: Strengthening Families, Sustainable
Dorys Gonsález will learn to care for farm animals and
Community Organization, Food Security
make crafts, and Pastor Alexander Valdivia will help
and Environmental Protection, and Pastoral
lead Santa Fe’s Community Development Committee.
Leadership Training. We talked with Pastor
Alexander David Valdivia Masiz, the vice
CEPAD: Dorys, why did you decide to get inpresident of the Community Development Committee volved with some of CEPAD’s programs for women?
in Santa Fe, and with Dorys Gonsález, who will be
Dorys: It will be so good to learn something that
learning to grow a small vegetable garden and learn
will allow me to support my family. For example, if I
crafts and skills so she can earn money to support her
learn sewing, I can help make my family’s clothes and
family.
also earn money by sewing for other
I also really want to
people.
CEPAD: What are some of the biggest thank the churches
CEPAD: How do you feel to be
challenges you face in Santa Fe?
starting
this new partnership with
around the world that
Alexander: We need to learn how to are helping us. Bless
CEPAD? What are your expectations?
help the young people involved in drugs
Alexander: I see so many blessyou, and please know
and gangs. We hope this will happen
ings, they are not like any other organithat your investments
both in the youth leadership program and will not be in vain.
zation. We expect to see a lot of changes
through pastoral training, because there
- Pastor Alexander happen with their help.
have been a lot of problems.
Dorys: I really like that it’s an orgaDorys: I agree. We also need to
nization dedicated to helping women
expand our education and help youth get involved in
and men. I hope that every day we can move forward
better activities.
to improve ourselves, our families and our communiAlexander: The other biggest challenge is, simty.
ply, poverty. There are months of the year when no
Alexander: I also really want to thank the
one has enough to eat. It is so important for both men
churches around the world that are helping us. Bless
and women to learn how to grow better crops and also you, and please know that your investments will not
learn how to make some money in other ways.
be in vain.
Be social:
/CEPADnica
@CEPADnica
Give: cepadnica.org/donate
Miracles like these are possible
when we work together. Open up
the report to learn more about
Santa Maria’s success.
to read more about how
your support of CEPAD helped the village
of Santa Maria dramatically improve their
quality of life through community development projects. Here, Eddy operates a well
that provides water to a few dozen families. Before, he had to travel more than a
kilometer to the nearest well, then carry
water home. Now, Eddy can walk a few
feet to get water for his family.
Look inside
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The CEPAD Report