Moments in 2014!

2014 was a big year for PHPG.  We worked with farmers, artisans, and local entrepreneurs to help them improve their businesses. We distributed our 500th loan. Celebrated our 6th anniversary of working in Nicaragua. We built new partnerships.

Here are some highlights from a successful year.

The PHPG team in Nueva Esperanza, Granada.

  

Marlene, the President of the Cooperative Tierra Nutrias, shows us the Coop's grain storage and mill.

Fulgencio paid off his 3rd PHPG loan! Here he is with Executive Director, Isabel. 

PHPG Coordinator, Berly ,waiting for the bus with Nazareth, Martha's (PHPG Loan Officer) daughter.

A PHPG loan recipient demonstrating how he etches designs onto pottery.

Visiting with PHPG partner, EOS. Milton took us around his farm to see EOS technology at work.

We celebrated a new partnership! Here's PHPG Coordinator, Joe with Arlen from World Vision Nicaragua.

PHPG loan recipients and craftspeople standing next to their beautiful handmade tables.

Joe, Juan Carlos, and Steve enjoying a moment by the fire.

PHPG Fiesta in May!

December workshop with women micro-entrepreneurs in Matagalpa

The PHPG team walking the streets of Nueva Esperanza, Granada.

We're moving toward another great year!

Visit to San Juanillo

Walking into the picturesque village of San Juanillo. Most of the 100 families in this remote part of Matagalpa are farmers.

On this visit we met with Yohanna, the leader of her loan group. Yohanna's family has been cultivating onions for the past twenty years on this land. Here she show's off the seedlings.

 PHPG's first loans in these area where a result of a partnership with EOS and ATDEL. EOS and ATDEL helped the women build ecological ovens. The women who received the oven use the ovens to bake for their own consumption and also to sell in town. In the picture below, Yohanna shows us her oven.  She is looking forward to making roast chicken during the upcoming holiday season.

Our Matagalpa loan officer, Martha, poses in front of the seedlings. Martha's family used to farm in the are Esquipula.Her knowledge about agriculture in Nicaragua has been indispensable to our work here.

Yohanna's group is almost ready for a new PHPG loan, which they would like to use for a new irrigation system. Their current system is labor intensive and requires digging trenches where water can flow around the fields.

Below is a picture of the irrigation system in the fields of Yohanna's neighbor. A system like this would be a big benefit to the group.