Tag Archive for: partnership

All of This is in the Reach of Our Hands

Thanks to Sara Delaney and all our partners at Episcopal Relief and Development for this wonderful story of CEPAD’s work. ERD partners with our farming programs in Nueva Guinea and San Francisco Libre to help provide training and support for families and farmers there.

Over a hot, humid, rainy week in Nicaragua recently, I spent some time with our partner there, the Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua (CEPAD). This was my third visit to see their work, and I’ve written in previous years about the amazing mega-gardens that small farmers have created around their homes.

This time, I wanted to see for myself how CEPAD works to share ideas on the management of these gardens with farmers. So I attended a two-day exchange workshop that brought together about 40 participating men and women from the surrounding area. It was one workshop in a whole series that farmers go through over a three-year period, and this one featured techniques for making natural fertilizers and pesticides using local ingredients.

 Read the rest of the story at the Episcopal Relief and Development blog.

At The Heart of Short Term Missions: Reflections From A CEPAD Volunteer

By Olivia Holt, Summer 2014 CEPAD Volunteer Summer 

Throughout college I questioned the value of short-term missions. I mostly wondered if the price involved was worth it. Short-term mission trips can be expensive, and they consume a lot of funds.  Couldn’t the host ministry better use those funds to advance their work? That money could be feeding hungry tummies, training pastors, or employing locals to build homes for those without shelter.  I also wondered how much of a burden it was for the host to take care of a group of foreigners for a week. How are a ministry’s daily activities affected when everything is put on hold because a mission team has arrived?  By no means can I address this issue in full, but those questions were on my mind.

I also wondered about the results.  I had no doubt that short-term trips were beneficial for the visitors; I myself am a product of short-term missions. I have been changed because of my experiences on mission trips, and my passions have been shaped by what God taught me in those weeks. But, were they really good for the hosts?

A trip to Bluefields, Nicaragua, during my junior year of college eventually won me over to the realization that a short-term trip can be beneficial for everyone involved and a worthwhile financial investment.  While my team was in Bluefields, we asked the leader of the ministry, Adrian, about this topic. His simple response meant everything.

“You can send money in an envelope, and it can do lots of things,” he said. “But you can’t send a hug or a smile in an envelope.”

Read more

For Two Decades, Brentwood and Bluefields Work Together

The partnership between Brentwood Presbyterian Church and the pastoral committee APASUR in Bluefields has taken many forms in the last 21 years. This summer, both groups are recommitting themselves to the partnership, and the tangible results are already clear.

In June, a group of 36 people of all ages traveled to Bluefields to get to know the pastors of the committee, visit schools and churches, and simply share time together. At CEPAD, we believe partnership is more than a one-way transaction of financial support to a community — it’s a commitment to work together for radical transformation of both the physical realities of the two communities and the spirits of all involved. Read more

With CEPAD Computer Classes, Better Future Is A Click Away

Technology has been slow to reach rural areas of Nicaragua. So for five years, CEPAD’s Matagalpa office has provided affordable computer classes to students of all ages.

They can learn skills like word processing, how to use the internet, email, and spreadsheets. There are also advanced classes like computer maintenance. Hundreds of students have taken courses at the center to improve their chances of success in their studies and jobs.

“I couldn’t study computers in high school, and there aren’t any technology jobs in my community El Castillo, so I’m taking the class to be ready for university,” said Hellen Figueroa Escorsi. “ I want to study nursing, and I want to work to be able to help my family.” Read more