By Damaris Albuquerque, Executive Director Since April 10, Nicaragua has suffered two earthquakes and more than 580 aftershocks. The epicenters are primarily in the Momotombo and Apoyeque volcanoes, near Lake Managua. The towns and cities Nagarote, Mateare, Puerto Momotombo and Managua have been the most affected.The official reports state that two people died of heart […]
“It’s because of CEPAD that we have come as far as we have, and it’s because of CEPAD that we’ll be able to continue on our own,” said Yalena Hernandez Serrano after a meeting at the Nehemias Center last week. Yalena, from the Los Angeles community in Nueva Guinea, was one of 36 representatives […]
We are still feeling the aftershocks of a 6.2 magnitude earthquake near Managua last night. We thank God that all CEPAD staff are safe and that there was no damage to our property. The government reports that one person died of a heart attack. About 33 people were injured and 800 homes were damaged. 17 […]
“Before CEPAD came, I didn’t even have this chair to sit on, “ said Carmen Acuña, patting the arm of her wooden rocker. Now, Acuña runs a small convenience store and leads a cooperative bank for the women in her community, Cañas Blancas, and the surrounding areas. CEPAD provides credit for women so they can […]
Nicaragua’s neighbors Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, experience daily violence, institutional corruption and the myriad effects of drug trafficking and gang activity. A partnership between CEPAD and the United Nations helps dozens of refugee families make new homes in Nicaragua as they flee violence and poverty in their home countries. CEPAD became the U.N.’s Nicaraguan […]
Laughter and the thwack of wood against papier machete fill the air in Bálsamo, a community near Matagalpa.During the last year, 15 youth in the community met twice a week through CEPAD’s psychological and social program to learn about the environment, practice public speaking, and develop interpersonal skills like leadership, patience and respect. Today, they […]
By Leala Rosen Rachel and I visited Nicaragua in January and spent two weeks learning about CEPAD’s work empowering small farmers and improving food security through sustainable agriculture training. During our time with CEPAD, we stayed at homestays with farmers who have participated in CEPAD agricultural trainings. We stayed on two farms – one was […]
A group of more 68 people from the Yale Alumni Service Corps visited Trohilo, a small community near Leon, to provide medical care and other projects. In five days, they provided medical consultation and care to more than 400 people from Trohilo and nearby communities. Jelen Yalisa Espinoza, 16, said she came to the clinic to […]
We hope you had a great International Women’s Day! We celebrated el Día Internacional de la Mujer a couple days late with a breakfast and devotional to honor the women who work for CEPAD and those we serve with our programs. About 60 percent of CEPAD’s staff are women, including at the leadership level with […]
On a recent delegation trip with Amos Trust, Jenny Richardson wrote this poem and meditation after meeting with women in a rural community to learn about their experience with Prestanic, a microcredit organization that has strong ties to CEPAD. We are thankful to share it here. I am a woman. I raise my family in […]