CENICA Spring 2020

Spring 2020 In this newsletter, we share our plans, project updates, and an exciting announcement about the launch of the Planting Change Foundation, which will grow our capacity to reach even more communities.

Food Security in the Time of COVID-19 
Climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, economic well-being, and human health are inextricably linked. As the pandemic impacts vulnerable communities with income loss and health risk, food security worsens quickly, and the UN has warned of a hunger pandemic.  Thus, as we redesign our educational activities for the health and safety of these vulnerable communities, we are implementing programs to increase food security.

First, CENICA will begin producing organic fruits and vegetables. We have the land, stakeholders, and technical support to plant and distribute food to support communities through these difficult times.

Second, we will provide education and resources to support community members who want to grow their own food.  Last week, in partnership with local NGOs (EcoHuertos, Yaualí, and Corazon Contento), we hosted our first webinar on how to develop a “huerto” (food garden). By discussing which plants provide the most nutrition and how to manage with less water and chemicals, we will promote food security through education, while making communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

We need your support to fully implement this program and ensure that vulnerable communities in Nicaragua have access to healthy food.

The Planting Change Foundation will soon kick off a crowd-funding campaign to grow this program and is counting on you for support.

Launch of the Planting Change Foundation
We are proud to announce the launch of the Planting Change Foundation.  Planting Change will be an important vehicle through which CENICA will apply for grants and raise funds to continue work.  We have registered as a charitable organization in the US and are taking our final steps to establish our 501c3 nonprofit status.  

Vision: We want to build a world where communities across Latin American work together through conservation and education to build a sustainable world for current and future generations.

Mission: Planting Change Foundation grows the capacity of Latin American grassroots environmental organizations to protect natural ecosystems and promote sustainable human development. 

Dump to Garden

Last spring, we ran our Dump to Garden campaign to convert unofficial garbage areas into gardens and support our environmental leadership program. We made significant progress with the $7,000 USD raised, with 10 gardens completed!  Since our last update, the following gardens were completed. Many thanks to our sponsors for making them possible! En honor de Evelyn and Harper Schoen Donado por Jerry & Eleen Below en honor de sus nietos Dilan, Ravi, & Sonia Jardin La Paz En memoria de Dilip Patel Jardin Kerner
Read more about our process and details about each garden.

Jardin la Paz, located by the Catholic church in Villa Sandino, Granada, next to a creek connecting to Lake Cocibolca. The garden includes herbs like basil and rosemary, and we are working with neighbors to maintain it and prevent dumping in the area, so that it will flourish when the rains come.

Planto por La Tierra Campaign

During December 2019 and January 2020, we launched the campaign Planto x la Tierra.  With help from the remaining funds from Dump to Garden, we donated 80 trees to the community including avocado, mango, and orange, bringing our 2019 total to 683 trees.  The goal of this campaign was to involve community members in reforestation and gardening in their own homes.  We received social media, local TV, and radio publicity and thank everyone who participated, including Selina Hotel, Canal 5, and the people of Granada.
  Growth of Student Activism & Education
Through our work with schools, universities, and the Nicaragua Alliance on Climate Change (ANACC), we have continued supporting and growing the activism of students. Students build knowledge, strengthen their ability to problem solve, and become conscious environmental citizens. In 2019: 2,000 students across 3 schools began participating in the Fridays for Future climate strikes, inspired by Greta Thunberg. 1,080 students at Colegio Teresiano banned plastic bags from their school and campaigned to reduce plastic consumption. 175 youth participated in the Youngo* Conference of Youth at the University of Central America. (*Children and Youth constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) 100 students participated in butterfly conservation workshops. 80 students learned about organic agriculture through the development of 5 school gardens, which continue to produce food. 80 youth collected and studied data about plastic pollution in Lake Cocibolca. 16 students joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change youth constituency in Madrid, Spain.
 

Stay in touch
We look forward to continuing to update you with future newsletters.  You can also stay up to date by liking us on Facebook and Instagram (@cenica19).

Website: www.cenica.org.ni
Copyright © 2020 CENICA, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
CENICA2 RemesalBarrio GuadalupeSan Cristobal De Las Casas, Chp 29240 Mexico