Ometepe Food Security Project
We have served over 10,000 meals over the last sixteen months to hungry children. We are happy to report that the economic situation on the island is beginning to normalize - tourists are slowly coming back- and thus there are less hungry children to feed. Families here normally eat a very basic diet, that includes very limited nutritional value. Although many children in the community are now able to get a decent calorie intake, there is still an ongoing issue of reaching real nutritional needs for children to lead healthy lives.
We would love your support for our community programs, including our highly successful recipe sharing days over the next month!
Support our Community House! During the past months, we have created a hub for our projects. At the moment we are trying to improve this space so that it can be used by local Nicaraguan massage therapists to offer massage to tourists. We are also seeking to set up a teaching room where our recipe days and other community education workshops can continue to take place.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us thus far - we are so grateful!
OTHER BIG NEWS - We are now 501(c)3 registered! This means that we are eligible to receive USA tax-deductible donations! Please contact us if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Ometepe Development Fund or if you have any recommendations for funding sources from foundations and individuals. 
MORE ABOUT OUR PROJECT
This project was started in June 2018 to meet a very urgent need - feeding 300 meals to hungry children each week. At the time and Nicaragua's political turmoil had led to a situation where food prices on the island were soaring, and this, in combination with the severe job losses as a result of the devastating drop in tourism, had led to many local Nicaraguans being unable to feed their families.
Since June 2018 we have served over 7500 meals, servicing the neediest children in three communities on the island. We are so grateful that, with all of your support, we have been able to assist so many vulnerable children!
Fortunately, the economic situation on the island is beginning to normalize - tourists are slowly coming back- and thus there are less hungry children to feed. 
We are not done - and we are excited about the next phases of our project!
As we worked with the community over the year, it has become clear that it is necessary to address the root causes of the problem not just its the symptoms - thus in addition to feeding, our larger mission has become to educate families in order to increase their capacity to sustain themselves on foods that are locally available on Ometepe, and to encourage small business enterprises based on sustainable principles.
Our project has expanded in a number of ways - with the main aim being to build resilience and self-reliance among the members of our local community so that the situation where it is necessary to feed children does not arise again.
Over the past few months we have established a larger project - The Ometepe Development Fund - and have recently obtained US fiscal sponsorship for this project through Empowerment Works. This means that we can now receive tax-deductible donations (get in touch with us if you wish to make one!) and we are looking to expand our programs going forward.
As part of this broader project, we have been running recipe days for local women, which have been a great success to date. Ometepe island is so rich in resources, but these are seldom used. The political crisis served to highlight the fact that, since the advent of the tourism industry, many local Nicaraguans have become increasingly dependent upon on imported foods. Unfortunately, it seems that this has led to people becoming less resilient in the face of difficulty.
Our recipe days have been based on the recipes developed during InanItah Fire Season. These use healthy, abundant and underutilized local foods to create a balanced and healthy diet without relying on imported foods. Through our recipe days have been able to share some this knowledge - empowering people to become more self-reliant and healthier. We are very excited to report that many of local women who attend our recipe days are not only using these recipes at home, but a number of them are selling these goods at the weekly market. This not only promotes local food but also creates income streams for these women.
Help support our community hub!
During the past months, we have also been able to create a hub for our projects. This is currently where the meals are being served, and we have established a community garden here. At the moment we are trying to improve this space so that it can be used by local Nicaraguan massage therapists to offer massage to tourists. These massage therapists we have trained at InanItah a number of years ago and we are hoping to create a space where they can market their services to tourists in a convenient location. We are also seeking to set up teaching room where our recipe days and other community education workshops can take place.
We are on the ground and making a difference!
Any donation, big or small, with help us to feed and empower the people of Ometepe.
Now that we are 501(c)3 registered we are looking for funding sources from foundations and individuals. Please contact us if you have any recommendations or would like to make a tax-deductible donation.
All donations will be used to empower the local Nicaraguan community to increase their self-reliance, sustainability, health & nutrition and economic opportunities.
We believe in transparency and accountability!
All non-anonymous donors will receive a link to a google doc transparently sharing the program spending as well as photos of some of the farmers, families and cooks involved in the program.
Thank you again for your support
