A Heartfelt Thanks
In May, we reached out to you with an appeal, asking for your support as we responded to the sudden loss of USAID funding in Central America. Although EPIC had never received USAID funding, EPIC programs were being asked to take over some of the work of other organizations that had lost funding. The response of EPIC members and supporters was swift and encouraging. Your response helped EPIC meet some of this new need by immediately expanding its work in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Families in Jesus de Otoro receive their rice seed for their first Tempisque rice season.
In Alta Verapaz’s Polochic Valley, we were able to hire three new agricultural promoters to support the communities originally meant to be served in partnership with Caritas. This means that, despite the loss of funding to Caritas, rice is now planted and growing, and farmers can expect additional grain to feed their families.
In Honduras, we were thrilled to rehire Tomás Garcia, a trusted former promoter, to expand our support into Jesús de Otoro, an area of Honduras that had asked to join the Tempisque program. Thanks to an additional promoter, 15 families in this new region will be able to plant Tempisque rice, increasing food availability and hope for their families.
In just a few weeks, your generosity enabled us to act quickly and decisively in support of our partners. Even in the face of adversity, the EPIC community continues to bring hope and tangible support to the region.