Pictures tell a thousand words.
This summer World Renew offers a gallery of images from nine countries, giving you a close up look at communities engaged in the work of renewal and building resilience.
PHOTO TOP: Children in a community in Boaco try out the new well their school now uses thanks to a community development project with World Renew partner Association for Christian Youth. PHOTO CREDIT: HaEun Nam
Volunteer promoters from the neighborhood of Reparto David Andino in Chinandega have worked with neighbors to develop a community plan. PHOTO CREDIT: Leanne Talen Geisterfer
TWO PHOTOS ABOVE: Staff of Integral members and their partners participated in a workshop based on the book "Disasters and the Local Church" to prepare church leaders in disaster preparation and mitigation. PHOTO CREDIT: Leanne Talen Geisterfer
The book "Desastres y la Iglesia Local" was translated to Spanish through the efforts of Integral members in Central America (Tearfund, World Renew, and MAP, plus MCC as an integral "friend"). The workshop was developed so church leaders would know how to use the content of the book with their congregations. This workshop included 12 staff from World Renew and partners. The workshop was repeated the following week in Guatemala.
PHOTO LEFT: Volunteer promoters from the neighborhood of Reparto David Andino in Chinandega have worked with neighbors to develop a community plan. PHOTO CREDIT: Leanne Talen Geisterfer
PHOTO RIGHT: A young boy shows a map he drew of his community during a project evaluation with World Renew partner Association for Christian Youth. PHOTO CREDIT: HaEun Nam
Volunteer promoters from the neighborhood of Reparto David Andino in Chinandega have worked with neighbors to develop a community plan. PHOTO CREDIT: Leanne Talen Geisterfer
The promoters have made a map of the community, recorded a history of important dates in the community, and worked with residents to establish priorities and a development plan. They mentor at-risk youth in organized Impact Clubs, so they stay off the streets and get involved in positive community projects. These promoters love their neighborhood and the changes that are happening.
Bismark and his family has received their land ownership from AMC (Accion Medica Cristiana [World Renew's partner organization]) this year when Foods Resource Bank visited Nicaragua in November 2014. AMC and World Renew work closely together for many years especially focusing on land banks projects. PHOTO CREDIT: HaEun Nam
Sergio (left) is one of the Agricultural Program leader under ACJ/YMCA-Nicaragua. He works with a variety of community in Nicaragua teaching them different methods of farming in response to the climate change. PHOTO CREDIT: Bethany Beachum
There is always the fear of drought. Rain is essential to the cropping season. Last August, when rain finally came to Nicaragua it wasn't a gentle patter of raindrops, but more than five inches of rain on the parched land. Ever since, everyone hopes the rain will come more regularly. Food reserves in most homes are low. Continue to pray that the next cropping season will be successful for all Nicaraguan farmers.
Doña Nereyda is a Nicaraguan nutritionist, with more than 20 years of experience in training people in their communities with the nonprofit organization, Soynica. The folks who will attend the training have been planting vegetable gardens this year for the very first time. But many don’t traditionally use vegetables in the foods they cook.
In rural communities, cooking know-how is often passed down from grandparents and parents to children, and there is little access to education about how and why to cook balanced meals. Doña Nereyda explained the properties of different food groups, including what constitutes a healthy diet for each stage of life, how to defend against both physical and mental illnesses, facts about maternal health, and much more. PHOTO CREDIT: Bethany Beachum
PHOTO CREDIT: HaEun Nam