TPPC Donations Spur Food Production in Jiñocuao

In September 2021, TPPC received the final report on the CEPAD-Hurricanes Project that assisted 38 communities in Nicaragua -- including 35 families in our sister parish in Jiñocuao -- to recover from the devastating impact of two back-to-back hurricanes in November. CEPAD was able to raise $113,469 from eleven churches and two individuals, including $1,690 from TPPC through our virtual poinsettia campaign at Christmas. CEPAD (the Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua) facilitates the relationship between TPPC and the San José Church in Jiñocuao.

The money was used to buy seeds for the 35 families to plant beans, corn, sorghum, peppers, squash, tomato and cucumber. CEPAD also provided three workshops on agro-ecological production. These images show our brothers and sisters in Jiñocuao maintaining nurseries and transplanting seedlings into fields.

Unfortunately, the germination rate for the corn was only about 30%, according to Julio Huete, the coordinator of the Jiñocuao-TPPC partnership. CEPAD says this happened in three other communities from the same area in the west of the country. Fortunately, other crops fared much better.

"The lack of germination could be due to different factors that have to do with climate change and sudden changes in temperature (rain and heat). In other communities that have similar characteristics but had better rainfall, they had germination rates up to 70%," said Anita Taylor, the CEPAD director of international relations.

Anita said that CEPAD received the reports on the lack of germination in Jiñocuao very late, which "which did not allow us to make a timely claim." Anita says the relief project has now concluded but "we'll have our brothers and sisters in Jiñocuao as we continue to seek resources.

A video on our website shows Maria Otilla Flores thanking TPPC for the hurricane relief assistance we provided. She visited Takoma Park in 2011.

Photos by Julio Huete