P.O. Box 433 Allenspark, CO 80510

This fuel saving stove has a chimney that takes the smoke out of the kitchen, significantly diminishing lung damage for women who spend hours a day making meals and tortillas for their families. Visiting the Baja Verapaz Program in Guatemala, Paul Mckay and EPIC's new board member Scott Brink saw home and health improvement put together with saving trees.

After more than a year researching, ordering from China, shipping across the sea to Los Angeles, re-shipping to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, we now have rice hullers operating in Axochiapan, Mexico and La Segovia, El Salvador. The process has not been easy but EPIC staff and program partners have shown perseverance.

The EPIC 2022 Annual General Meeting, a dialog with directors of EPIC’s programs in Latin America was on We watched the latest documentary on reforestation - planting 35,385 trees in Guatemala. Heard an update on the four country Tempisque Rice Project, a rice that may be a game-changer for food-security in some areas of Central America and Mexico.

EPIC works with families – starting with whatever they have – to increase their production of food. These fields in Guerrero, Mexico, are not prime for upland rice! But these farmers are those who most need to find crops that will produce food on the land that they have. (right) In June 2022 in Mexico, 18 farmer/researchers are planting plots of Tempisque Rice. This the second year of a project verifying the adaptability of this upland rice that can be grown organically without chemical fertilizer or pesticide. Photo shows preparing the soil for planting in Axochipan, Morelos.

EPIC works with families – starting with whatever they have – to increase their production of food. These fields in Guerrero, Mexico, are not prime for upland rice! But these farmers are those who most need to find crops that will produce food on the land that they have. (right) In June 2022 in Mexico, 18 farmer/researchers are planting plots of Tempisque Rice. This the second year of a project verifying the adaptability of this upland rice that can be grown organically without chemical fertilizer or pesticide. Photo shows preparing the soil for planting in Axochipan, Morelos.

While the US is in turmoil, all EPIC program partners are starting a new year of activities. These are modified to prevent the spread of Covid. In Mexico students pre-K through 6th grade at La Buena Tierra are studying virtually via cell phones. For children without phones, the director acquired donated used phones. EPIC provided some needed scholarships and school kits for kindergarten students who could not afford them.

While the US is in turmoil, all EPIC program partners are starting a new year of activities. These are modified to prevent the spread of Covid. In Mexico students pre-K through 6th grade at La Buena Tierra are studying virtually via cell phones. For children without phones, the director acquired donated used phones. EPIC provided some needed scholarships and school kits for kindergarten students who could not afford them.

With Hurricanes Eta and Iota hundreds of thousands of Hondurans lost their homes and more have lost their crops - their food for 2021. Without homes or food, Hondurans have formed caravans to flee to the US. They are being turned back in Guatemala and Mexico. Hondurans need HOPE AT HOME. EPIC is dedicated to working towards this goal for as many families as possible. In the next weeks EPIC will post descriptions of this work.