Convoy of Hope Agriculture Ministry: A Firsthand Look

Recently, Convoy of Hope posted an interview testimony that provides a personal perspective concerning the reason for and effectiveness of the Convoy of Hope Agriculture ministry. Following is the text of that firsthand account of Fanor Navarro and his wife, Yanira, who live in Nicaragua, that explains how Convoy’s ministry transformed their lives.

Fanor Navarro: My childhood was spent selling tacos, bread, panada, and other things my mother made. There was no time for playing with other children, because I had to help support my family. I never wanted to be an adult. My dreams were to not to grow up. That what I dreamed every time I had a birthday. I didn’t want to have a birthday. I always wanted to be a child because I saw the problems that my mother had – the way we lived, and I didn’t want that to happen to me. In my town, most of the people work in a barrio or a lumberyard. They make enough to pay for their daily food and nothing more.

Fanor: “My name is Fanor Alejandro Toruño Navarro. I am from Jinotepe, Carazo [Nicaragua]. I have a beautiful wife [Yanira] and a precious 4-year-old daughter.

Yanira Navarro: When I found out about Convoy, they reached out and invited my daughter and I to a meeting one day. They had activities for children and some agricultural training for the women.

Gerzon Lopez, Convoy of Hope: There were about six women who came and among them was Fanor’s wife. They both found our program very interesting and we wanted to help them.

Fanor: The agriculture director asked us if he could help us with a project — he’d showed us how to grow melons, corn, squash, but in a new way. It is called high tunneling and it can withstand the storms that we get here. It also uses drip irrigation so that the crops will survive the dry season.

Gerzon: The objective of developing this field program is to develop food security at the local level. We work with families where they learn by doing approach.

Fanor: We had a hurricane come through that brought 12 days of rain. Many people lost everything. So much was lost. People just sat there with their arms crossed in disbelief. Nobody knew what would be left standing after the storm. But despite the flooding, our crops are still producing. That is the advantage of planting with the high tunnel method that Convoy showed us. Our produce is healthy and fresh.

Gerzon: Fanor’s project has already taken a leap, from producing for food security to producing for agribusiness. It is creating income for his family and they are no longer living day-to-day. Now he is a well-known producer in the area.

Fanor: Convoy of Hope provided us with the seeds and materials for the tunnels. And they are advising us. They come constantly to monitor our crop and give us technical advice. It has been a big transformation, because I used to survive by selling milkshakes and tacos on the street. Now I no longer need to sell tacos. We get daily harvests, which allows us to actually save money to buy our own land.

Gerzon: We are committed to the food security of Nicaraguan families, especially the poorest or those living in the most impoverished conditions.

Yanira: Since we started working with Convoy, we have had economic relief. We thank God for Convoy of Hope because they are a blessing to us. Through them we have fulfilled our dreams as a family.

Fanor: The land teaches you to be patient. Everything comes at the right time. I cannot hurry it or delay the harvest. That’s how it is with God. God brought this project from Convoy to us at just the right time.

To view the video of Fanor’s testimony, click here.