The Santa Maria Story
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch dealt a heavy blow to Nicaragua. Heavy flooding destroyed homes, washed away bridges and made many roads impassible.  The extended period of rain also led to a deadly mudslide on the Casitas Volcano, where several hundred families had been living. People in these communities lost family members, homes, livestock, everything they owned.

After the mudslide, the international community worked with the survivors to help rebuild these communities in the valley below the mountain, in an area now known as Santa Maria; a memorial park (right) was created to honor those who were lost, where evidence of the mudslide still remains.

As part of the rebuilding of this community, FH walked alongside the families, offering emotional and spiritual support; we have walked alongside the leaders, partnering with them to identify community needs and designing collaborative projects to meet those needs; we have walked alongside churches, encouraging and equipping local pastors with knowledge and resources to help them serve the community.

In the area of community health, we have worked with Nicaraguan community development leaders to promote women's health groups, where women meet regularly to learn simple preventative measures to maintain their family's health as well as to receive spiritual encouragement and teaching.

In the area of economic opportunity, FH/Nicaragua staff have helped facilitate the development of marketable skills in the community, particularly in the area of sewing and embroidery. This work began when former Hunger Corps Anne Thompson discovered a desire in the community to learn embroidery. She started with one family, but interest grew and several in the group became extremely proficient in their technique. Soon afterwards, a woman in the community who had a sewing machine offered to get involved and sew pieces of fabric together for embroidered purses.

Meanwhile, FH/Nicaragua staff member Shannon Ahern was working with other communities already to find and/or develop marketable products that could compete in the US through NicaMade. He began to meet with the sewing group in Santa Maria and is now regularly buying products they make to sell in Nicaragua and in North America. The people are given a fair price for their work, and there is a holistic approach to the development of the people. Participants attend educational workshops, and are required to open savings accounts.

What has been the fruit of all of this activity?

We have seen a man who gets up at 2am to plant beans coming home after biking 18 kilometers and working on his embroidery. We have heard how last year a family had to take out a loan to buy oxen to farm their land, but this year their income increased and no loan was needed. We have seen children learning, creative potential developing, and new choices appearing. We have seen Santa Maria families like Ines (left) and her daughters taking pride in themselves; little by little, we see a shifting worldview from a mentality of poverty to a mentality of hope.


Day by day, people are learning how to live in
healthy relationships with God, each other,
themselves, and creation.  

Read more Community Stories:
Art Works in Boaco ; Hope Grows in El Limonal