Dear Casa – Pueblito supporters and community,

It has been raining in most parts of Nicaragua since May of this year. This is a welcome change from 2023, when consistent rain did not start until about October (depending on the region).

Nevertheless, April and May were the hottest months on record, with the average temperature in the country in May being 29.6 degrees Celsius (without factoring in the humidex). Managua reached a record-setting 38.8 degrees.

These temperatures led to forest fires close to or in some of our partner communities. A fire just outside Ocotal, in northern Nicaragua left one youth dead.

*A forest fire burns in Dipilto (close to Ocotal) in mid-April.*

*A forest fire in the community of Santa Julia near the end of April.*

In Managua, the rain started almost at the beginning of May. All of our partners reported significant rain before the end of the month. Since this is a “La Niña” year, our partners know that it is likely that we will have more storms and rainfall, as well as the resulting effects, including mudslides; damage to homes, crops, infrastructure and livelihoods; and possibly loss of human and animal life.

One of our partners, the Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative, will be using this year’s project to update their community risk management plans and training. They will also acquire equipment and tools so that the community can prepare for the effects of storms on the main road in and out of the community, as well as repair any damage, by building run-off ditches and trails.

We will also support some of our partners to adapt to the climate crisis through our gender-responsive agroecology project. This year’s project will be based on developing a model farm and model garden in each of three communities – Jiñocuao, Santa Julia and La Calera – to build knowledge and practice skills regarding both agroecological techniques and more gender-equal relations related to both production and household tasks. Here is one of the beneficiaries, Toño Díaz, showing off his citrus trees in mid-June.