Ecological Sustainability

The North Country Mission of Hope’s ECO committee works on many levels with the residents of Chiquilistagua and the surrounding barrios. The ECO committee has the duties of promoting sustainable projects for self-reliance through wise use of natural resources. Our common goal is to coordinate with these community leaders as they seek and apply solutions to their challenges related to growing food. The North Country Mission of Hope’s ECO committee became a formal committee of the Mission in 2007.  To make a donation to help the ECO project, visit our Donations page.

Throughout the past few years the ECO committee has:

Supported community members to attend agricultural conferences and training:

  • A teacher, community development organizer, and student attend the Central American Regional Agricultural Conference at Rancho Ebenezer – July 07
  • A teacher at Nino Jesus de Praga School shows his worm compost bed

Secured funding for school garden projects to teach students methods of growing food for their families

  • Missioners look on as a teacher, student, and community development organizer plant a raised bed garden at Nino Jesus de Praga School
  • Model school garden at Nino Jesus de Praga School

Created demonstration gardens at schools, homes, and within the community

  • Our agricultural consultant demonstrates a raised bed garden for the students at Nejapa School
  • Agricultural consultant and missioner assist a family in creating a home garden using the raised bed technique
  • Peppers growing in a community garden

Provided educational opportunities for students, parents, and community members to learn agricultural techniques and various technologies

  • School garden project director asks questions of our agricultural consultant who will use the information to train community members.
  • Missioner explains how to use the Filtron water filter, that removes from 99.88 to 100% of impurities, to the community development organizer. These filters are manufactured in Nicaragua employing local people.

Introduced Moringa into the community

Click here for information on Moringa

  • Missioners donate seeds for Moringa trees planted at the orphanage
  • Sr. Teresita finds Moringa recipes in the book given by Mission of Hope for feeding the children at the orphanage
  • Missioner readies Moringa seedlings for planting at new home shelters

Provided technical assistance for education and agricultural challenges

  • Missioners share information about the water purification ability and Nutritional aspects of Moringa at the Mission of Hope Health Fair
  • Missioner helps construct a rainwater catchment system for irrigating the school gardens. Gutters were donated by Mission of Hope volunteers.
  • Missioners help construct fencing around family gardens for protection from animals

Educational Opportunities – Various Technologies

  • Woman using her rocket stove which provides a safe, environmentally friendly, more efficient option to the open fires used traditionally by Nicaraguan families.

Many of the above projects were inspired by the Environmental Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) located in Fort Myers, Fl which assists community leaders in developing countries to seek hunger solutions for families growing food under difficult conditions.