Help Indigenous Farmers in Nicaragua

MADRE is an international women’s human rights organization. MADRE’s has collected over 25 million dollars worth of aid for women and children in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. In light of Earth Day we are reviving a campaign called Harvesting Hope, which will provide organic vegetable seeds to women on the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, where three-quarters of the population suffers from malnutrition.

Climate change and rising ocean temperatures are causing intensified storms in Nicaragua, devastating farmers’ harvests, and depleting local food sources. This past November severe flooding from Hurricane Ida ruined crops at the time of harvest. To recover from this storm, local Nicaraguan farmers will need to plant new seeds by May.

MADRE is working with our sister organization, Wangki Tangni, in Nicaragua to train Indigenous Miskito women in organic farming and sustainable livestock-management. Harvesting Hope emphasizes sustainable land use methodologies, safeguards traditional Indigenous knowledge of natural resource management, and strengthens women’s economic self-sufficiency and participation in public life. Harvesting Hope focuses on helping local farmers since exploitation of the region’s natural resources by timber, mining, and fishing corporations has threatened the biodiversity on which Indigenous Peoples depend.

MADRE needs help in order to raise awareness of the effects of climate change, and to help the Indigenous farmers in Nicaragua. Any donation of unexpired organic vegetable seeds you could make, however small or large, would make a huge difference in the daily life of the recipients. If you would like to get involved in another way, you could also raise money to buy seeds, or host an event at your school. We’d be happy to work with you if you have any ideas or questions about getting involved. Please feel free to contact us at 212-627-0444 or helpinghands@madre.org