50 Years of Help for Matagalpa – CEPAD

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The following was written by Nikola Dünow in German. The interview was translated to English with permission from Jörg Wieder to be shared with CEPAD. Click here to visit the original article.

As part of global ecumenism, the church circle maintains a partnership with CEPAD in Nicaragua. In 2022, the aid organization celebrated its 50th anniversary. We interviewed Rev. Jörg Wider, who has lived in Nicaragua for a long time.

Mr. Wider, what is your personal connection to Nicaragua?

During my vicariate in Heckinghausen, I had the first contact with Nicaragua and CEPAD, which was immediately after the end of their civil war. My wife and I then got involved in the partnership. We participated in theological and development policy reasons. At that time, CEPAD had great importance in Nicaragua and Central America, strongly promoting the peace process and was the largest aid organization on the ground.

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CEPAD combines development work with the deep faith of the local people.

We were in Matagalpa for the first time in 1992 and 1993 as part of my foreign vicariate. During this time, a concept for training amateur pastors emerged. From 1996, we were again in Nicaragua and implemented the project until 2002 and set up a nationwide pastoral distance learning course on behalf of CEPAD.

Today, CEPAD focuses on sustainable development aid on the ground and on advancing the discussions between the many Protestant churches in Nicaragua.

How did the partnership come about in the first place and how does the church circle support CEPAD?

Parallel to the city partnership between Wuppertal and Matagalpa, a church network of partnership was also created. We are in contact with CEPAD and the pastoral committees in the Matagalpa region. The Evangelical Church District of Wuppertal supports village development in the area around Matagalpa with around 20,000 euros per year.

Partnerships Worldwide

Ecumenism: The Wuppertal Church Circle maintains three partnerships with Christians in global ecumenism: Council of Protestant Churches CEPAD in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Church District Keetmanshoop in Namibia, Youth Alive Ministries in Soweto, South Africa.

CEPAD: CEPAD was founded in 1972 by Dr. Gustavo Parajon together with numerous Protestant churches to provide emergency aid after a severe earthquake in Nicaragua. From 1972 – 1979, CEPAD shifted from emergency aid to development work, but continued to help with natural disasters and peace negotiations. CEPAD was founded on the basis of Jesus’ mission, which took care of the marginalized groups with their needs and advocated justice. In 50 years, CEPAD has accompanied more than 4,000 villages in all parts of the country.

Visit: In 2017, the last trip of a Wuppertal delegation to Nicaragua took place. The partnership group plans to send a delegation to Nicaragua in mid-2023 and organize a visit to Wuppertal in 2024.

What exactly happens to the money on site?

A village community usually consists of 100 to 150 people and each village decides for itself what is most needed. A village is usually supported for five years and accompanied until the establishment of a development association. Then it stands a bit on its own feet, can better organize itself and is able to submit applications for funding to the state and aid organizations. In the five years, many project impulses have been set.

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With 800 euros, a house can be built in Nicaragua.

For around 800 euros, you can build a house there with your contribution. Small businesses are initiated for women. Between 100 and 200 euros are enough for start-up financing. This is sufficient for the basic equipment of a small tailoring shop with a sewing machine and fabrics or for a craft business in which greeting cards are produced. Sometimes water sources are also financed or roads are built.

What is special about CEPAD?

Despite all the changes within the aid organization, the special spirit of CEPAD has remained and still inspires me today. Their development work is linked to the deep faith of the local people. Behind this is the idea that together we can tackle problems. God has called us to change the world. CEPAD uses church contacts to promote each community. The help is always aimed at everyone.

Is aid in Nicaragua still necessary after 50 years and does it bring about sustainable changes?

Today I still have contact with the communities that I have often visited. I see that the structures still exist and have even evolved. Nicaragua is prospering but is still a poor country. When we lived there, the capital of Managua was miles away from the other capitals of Central America in terms of development, but that has changed.

A lot of trade has emerged and more structure in many villages. Overall, the security situation has also improved a lot. The country still needs urgent development aid. There are many communities where there is not yet electricity or clean water.

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Have new topics been added to development aid?

The basic tasks remain. The communities need support, training, and encouragement so that they can venture onto new paths. Sometimes the simple things can help, such as the extension of a family garden, so that the families can take care of themselves. But this requires suitable seeds and knowledge of which plant grows on which soil.

Our last inter-continental online conference at the beginning of the year was also increasingly concerned with the consequences of climate change. Cultivation and harvesting has become more difficult. For example, cultivated areas must be increasingly terraced so they are protected from soil erosion, and there must be new techniques to collect water. Some projects are also more unique, such as the import and breeding of certain earthworm species to help with composting and improving soil quality.

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