CEPAD Helps With Quake Recovery

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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 attacks, 231 homes totally collapsed and another 2,408 homes were damaged. The government is Read more

Community Leaders Collaborate To Plan Cooperatives

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“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 from CEPAD’s partner communities who came to a two day workshop last week to learn how to navigate the forms and rules for creating an official association or cooperative. When the official partnership between CEPAD and these communities ends this year, the associations and cooperatives allow communities to Read more

Please pray for Nicaragua in aftermath of 6.2 earthquake

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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 homes collapsed in Nagarote, the city nearest to the center of the earthquake. We are praying for all those affected.


Nicaragua remains on red alert for aftershocks and additional quakes. CEPAD has secure evacuation routes and plans in place for our staff. Executive director Damaris Albuquerque thanks our friends for their kind messages and prayers.

We received messages from many of you, as soon as you heard the news. We are very grateful for your concern, thoughts and prayers. We will keep you updated in case there are further developments.

Microloan Provided Carmen Acuña and Family The Chance for a Better Life in Cañas Blancas

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“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 make investments to improve their economic circumstances. Carmen, a grandmother who is diabetic, earned enough from the store last year to get treatment for a serious illness while still helping with her family’s finances.

“No banks will lend to people in this community, CEPAD is the only one,” she said. “I am so thankful CEPAD took a chance on us, it helped keep me alive and so I could keep my family alive.”

CEPAD relies on support from partners to provide the initial funds for the loan programs in the communities. An investment of $3,500 provided the intitial capital so that 14 women in the Carazo region could drastically improve life for their families. Your gift can make that difference for women in other communities.

The loan program helps strengthen women’s opportunities in their families and communities as well, said Carolina Estrada Sandino, another one of the bank’s founders.

“A lot of times, the men don’t see women as competent to do anything but be at home,” Carolina said. “But now, my husband supports me in my business and there is more motivation to work together as a family.”

The program makes an especially big difference for the many women in rural Nicaragua who are single moms. These women often have to seek work outside the city and leave their children with relatives or neighbors. The opportunity to start a small business means women can better support their families and keep resources in the local economy.

Carmen said she thanks God every day for CEPAD and the opportunity to start her store. We at CEPAD are thankful every day for partners like you who make our work possible!

Support For Refugees Helps At Risk Families Start Anew

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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 partner to assist with refugee placement in 1979. We work with the U.N. and the Nicaraguan government to provide refugees, typically families, with orientation to the country, basic material supplies like clothes and rent money, spiritual and psychological support, and help with the asylum process.

“At the moment of arrival there was confusion, fear and uncertainty to know we would start our new life here in Nicaragua without knowing anyone and with few economic resources,” said the father of one of the families CEPAD helped in 2013. “But we stayed strong as a family because we had one another, and this helped us search for a way to lift up our circumstances.”Now, that man and his wife and four children live safely in Nicaragua and run a business in a small city. He said they are grateful to CEPAD for making their transition smooth.

The U.N.’s Refugee Agency predicts the number of refugees fleeing certain Latin American countries will increase this year because of rising levels of criminal activity. CEPAD is proud to help provide resources and support to refugees who come here seeking hope after years of living under constant threat of violence.

Psychological and Social Program Gives Youth Room to Grow

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Kimberley Flores

Kimberley Flores

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 celebrate with an end of year presentation and piñata.Kimberley Flores, a student in the program, said she felt a change in her self and the other students after completing the program.“The other kids used to make fun of me because I’m fat, but now we respect each other and I have more confidence,” Kimberley said.

She plays more and is healthier too, added her mom Caridad. The program encourages kids to eat nutritious food and play sports, and the psychological and social program leaders in many communities also organize baseball and soccer teams.

With your support, CEPAD works with more than 600 youth every year through its psychological and social program. Your donations and partnership make a huge difference in the lives of kids in Nicaragua who otherwise don’t have access to sports or other after school programming.

CEPAD’s psychological and social program aims to work with young people in communities who are at risk of drugs and alcohol abuse, physical abuse at home, low school achievement and other challenges. Older teens in the community lead the groups of 7- to 12-year-olds in twice-monthly workshops.

The teachers receive training from CEPAD staff on how to identify abuse and depression in children, how to teach values, and how to creatively engage children in activities related to themes like the environment.

“A lot of the kids used to be really shy, but now they will sing in front of the group or lead a prayer,” said Diana Hernandez, 16, who leads the group in Bálsamo.

The skills and knowledge students gain include concrete behaviors, like how to protect the environment by not littering, and broader concepts like leadership and optimism.

“Before, if I had a test in school I would always be pessimistic and not do well,” said Katherine Tatiana Luquez Gutierrez, 12. “Now I know how to have a good mind set and I do a lot better in school.”

We are so thankful for all supporters like you who make it possible for students including Katherine and Kimberley to become better students and leaders. Your pledge today will ensure we can continue to empower youth around Nicaragua!