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Historically, rural farmers in Central America grew a few crops, corn, beans and squash, that were staple crops.  They grew a lot of each because it was easier, and if they lost half of their crop in bad weather, there would still be enough to feed their families and animals.  In Guatemala, these three staples […]

This is the story of our first experience of starting work in three rural communities in the Municipality of Santa Lucía Utatlán in the department of Sololá. A 100% indigenous community of the Quiché ethnic group, Sololá is one of the poorest departments in Guatemala.

ViviendasLeón provides scholarships to girls, boys and young adults in the rural areas of Sutiava-Nicaragua, “to guarantee inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Women make up more than half of the world’s population, yet the responsibility disproportionately falls on them to feed a large part of its inhabitants, especially in rural areas of developing countries. According to the FAO, rural women produce more than half of the food, and play an important role in preserving biodiversity and guaranteeing food sovereignty and security.

At ViviendasLeón, women’s empowerment has been a fundamental pillar in the realization of our mission. Overwhelmingly, rural women have led in the implementation and success of our programs.

In 2022, ViviendasLeón programs supported nearly 500 families and 1,250 children in Nicaragua and Guatemala. We began work in Guatemala in 2019. Since then we have worked toward creating our team to begin implementing our successful programs in training, farming, water and economic development.

”Thanks to ViviendasLeón today I am receiving materials so my family can build our water system to be able to irrigate our vegetables in the summer months. Before I didn’t have enough well water or systems, or any other alternative that would allow me to harvest and maintain my vegetable crops during the dry season.”

Los Planes, Santa Lucia Utatlan, Guatemala Every weekday the mothers in the community of Los Planes, Santa Lucía Utatlán, Guatemala prepare a balanced lunch for the 310 students who attend the elementary school.  They have taken nutrition courses with Mil Milagros a partner of ViviendasLeón. Now that the pandemic is waning, students have returned for

Small and medium-sized enterprises, better known as SMEs in Nicaragua, contribute to the development objectives in our country. They represent more than 90 percent of businesses nationally, providing new opportunities and economic improvements for the families of the country.

San Francisco We are so excited to publish our first Strategic Plan, 2021-24!  It is the product of our staff and board working together during the pandemic in 2020 on a plan to strengthen our organization over the next 3 years. Strategic Plan 2021-24 As we write today, conditions in Central America continue to impact

This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Human Capacity Training program, a breakthrough in acknowledging the challenges faced by rural communities, and creating a way to support and train them to become agents of change.
This is a report on our recent cohort of ten rural women who worked together in 2021 to become protagonists in their own development, and leaders in their community.

The gaps in equality, and the difficult situation in which Fabiola Chavarria, a 28-year-old peasant woman lived, motivated her and other women like her to organize and participate in the Human Capacity Training program, which ViviendasLeón provides in the communities of Sutiava.