Have all your meetings and social gatherings moved online while you keep an appropriate distance? We’re doing the same as we work to support our partners and keep their critical work going in the communities we serve.
Across Latin America, many countries are on high alert for COVID-19. In Guatemala, borders have been closed, Colombia has declared a state of economic and social emergency. Check out the update from Nicaragua below. All of our partners tell us that they see massive disruptions on the horizon, but we will continue the course – with your help.
Before you head into your next meeting, family check-in, or social meet up, make a suggested donation of $20 or more & we’ll send you a selection of 8 ZOOM-ready background photos from the beautiful places where we work with our coffee-farming partners.
The co-ops and families we work with count on our organization to keep life-saving food security programs running. Coffee-farming families are creating organic home gardens, diversifying their income through beekeeping, and building resilient communities that are better equipped to weather crises like this one.
Update from the field: Nicaragua
Across Latin America, many countries remain on high alert for COVID-19. In Guatemala, borders have been closed, Colombia has declared a state of economic and social emergency. Nicaragua has yet to put out a national order on social distancing. Our partners at SOPPEXCCA, a cooperative in Nicaragua, recently sent this update:
“Women participating in the Mercadito Farmers Market are taking steps to ensure safety, health and hygiene. They’re using masks and gloves, and practicing social distancing with customers. While some are anxious about the virus, they continue to sell their produce because the income is so important to them.
“The market remains busy, in fact, it has sold out more quickly than usual over the last three days. We are looking into how we might offer pre-orders and send produce by bus. The women are also adding tamales to the products on offer in anticipation of Easter.
“Training activities will be delayed, but the gardens remain active and are providing food for families. We are sending seeds and fertilizer to the farmers market participants by bus, and our young promoters in communities are distributing them to the women.
“Families are hopeful that schools will stay open, as many depend on the schools to feed their children and the school gardens supply high quality lunches and healthy snacks. Food prices are now rising, especially for staples like rice, corn and beans.”
We are working hard to provide resources for the farmers market and school gardens, but we need more support to maintain these important programs. All our partners tell us that they see massive disruptions on the horizon, but they are committed to continue building food security. Please consider a donation to keep this work going!
