Community Development

A Nehemiah Center health promoter teaches community members about parasite prevention. Children in El Ojoche Herberth Reyes is one of the CHE leaders working in El Ojoche. Teaching organic composting and promoting small patio gardens is one way the Nehemiah Center seeks to improve the health of communities.   1 of 4

The people of Nicaragua face enormous daily challenges living in their communities. Extreme poverty limits many families to one meal a day. Malnourishment and parasite-caused diseases are common, especially among children. Access to free quality health care is extremely limited.

To address these pressing needs, the Nehemiah Center has adopted the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) strategy designed by our international collaborator Life Wind. CHE is multifaceted, and promotes the health of the whole person—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

Seventeen communities throughout the Pacific and Central regions of Nicaragua are implementing the CHE strategy. The Nehemiah Center equips local training teams, who in turn teach local community leaders about disease prevention, nutrition, and agriculture, along with the basics of faith in Christ, Bible study, and outreach. These local leaders form a committee which reaches out to its neighbors while facilitating community education and evangelism. Food for the Hungry staff work alongside these local leaders and community members, promoting the truth that even the poorest communities have valuable resources which can be put to work to change their situation. Short-term teams also assist the communities in small projects which the communities have identified.

Community Profile

For many years, the tiny community of El Ojoche had a reputation as a “dirty” community. Work was scarce, disease was rampant, and the leadership was divided. But, as a result of the equipping of a group of leaders through the Nehemiah Center, things began to change. The two “sides” of the community began to collaborate. People learned better health practices to reduce malaria, diarrhea, vomiting, and fevers. Families have begun to find ways to solve their problems without violence.

This remarkable story of transformation began with Herberth Reyes and Elizabeth Rodriguez, agents of transformation from nearby Somotillo, who began attending the Nehemiah Center’s training-of-trainers for health promoters. Herberth started visiting El Ojoche, five kilometers from the Honduras border, where he worked to bring the local leadership together. It was a slow process, but Ojoche resident Benancio Rios says, “After three and a half years of working here, there is a lot more love and unity among the families.” Benancio is one of the leaders of the local Community Health Evangelism program, which trains and equips local leaders to share preventative health principles and biblical truth with their neighbors. Leaders like Benancio receive training 1-2 a month from Herberth and Elizabeth on such diverse topics as organizational planning, administration, disease prevention, and conflict resolution. “I am trained not just for myself, but for others as well,” Benancio emphasizes.

Benancio, his wife Basilia, and their daughters Janet and Ivania are now all actively involved in the development of their own community. Last year, Basilia began growing tomatoes, peppers, and onions in their front patio. “I wanted to show my neighbors that it is possible to grow vegetables right here,” she said. Janet and Ivania are both members of the CHE committee, which includes representatives from each of the community’s five local churches. “It’s really beautiful—it’s not just one church deciding the direction of our community, but a collaborative approach.”

The CHE committee has taken great initiative over the last several years to improve the living conditions of the people. Signs all over the community remind the people not to litter, with a biblical reference included, and public trash cans have been placed throughout the community. Another project the community took initiative to solve involves the road used to enter the community. “When it rains, it’s terrible, “ Benancio said. “No one can go anywhere because the buses can’t enter.” Instead of complaining, the men of the community got together to create ditches for rainfall drainage, and remove large rocks from the path. Now the trip that used to take 45 minutes takes less than half the time.

While the physical changes are encouraging, they are only an outward sign of an inward change in the community. “The changes we have seen are the result of a biblical worldview and unity,” Benancio says. “The CHE strategy is more than a social strategy—it is a spiritual one. I always tell the other leaders that we need to keep seeking God’s guidance to know what he wants us to do next.”

For more information, contact:
Roger Pavon, Coordinator