Manuel Cibrian, 19, has been threatened by gang members in his village of El Angel, next to Barahona, where he lives with his father. He decided to attend COFOA leadership training and community meetings because he wants a safer place…
Mark Holmerud, Lutheran Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, and a delegation of clergy and lay leaders, witnessed the dedication of the Rwanagana Lutheran School science building. They also visited PICO Rwanda organizing projects across the country to support the…
Excitement was the rule of the day as Nyange leaders gathered to skype with engineers in the US to learn about a possible partnership to make and bake roofing tiles. PICO Rwanda is developing collaborative relationships between the people of…
Jean Mirvil recently was elected President of OPODNE by 100 delegates from across the Northeast District. He formerly was the principal of a middle school in Brooklyn, planning someday to retire to his native Haiti. Then he was invited to…
Grand Bassin OPODNE leaders numbering at 75 have begun a successful chicken cooperative, selling their first 200 chickens. These sales generated a growing demand for more chickens. Co-op members re-invested some of their profits to build new pens on land…
In advance of the fall visit by Pope Francis to Philadelphia, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez of Honduras is meeting with 200 PICO representatives from across the United States. Using Pope Francis’ Joy of the Gospel, Cardinal Rodriguez will talk about the…
Recognizing Pr. John’s role in the formation and growth of the Lutheran Church in Rwanda, church leaders overwhelmingly elected him to the position of Assistant to the Bishop. “People recognize that organizing is the key to developing and sustaining the…
Dufene Bendel relates the tragic history of Phaeton, formerly a thriving community supported by the sisal industry. Families had healthy livestock, horses and successful farms, and the town had its own airport. When the US pulled out in the 1980s,…
Two hundred leaders from across La Paz met with candidates from four major parties contending for seats in El Salvador’s legislature in advance of elections. Together with Caritas, a Catholic social service provider, they demanded passage of Article 69 which…
Seven years ago, Specioza adopted a little girl named Pico when her mother died in childbirth. It took Mumeya leaders 10 years to finish their health clinic. This year, they brought electricity to the clinic and the 10 surrounding villages…
