ELCA Hunger

Nicaragua - Meet Nubia.

Nubia owns a herd of 60 dairy cows on her ranch on the outskirts of Chinandega, Nicaragua. There she employs nine people, and her cows produce 1,000 liters of milk per day. Each morning, a long line of neighbors forms to buy fresh cheese and dairy products.

But three years ago, when her husband died, Nubia didn’t think she could keep her land, much less run a successful dairy. She had just a few cows. They grazed on nothing but dry underbrush, and they were producing less and less milk every day. Worried about the future, Nubia’s children left the country to find jobs in the United States and Spain. Nubia’s future seemed bleak.

Good agricultural techniques changed everything for Nubia. Now enjoying a nutritious diet and grazing in fields of tall alfalfa, her cows are healthier and producing more milk than ever.

Nubia learned to grow alfalfa for her cows from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a new U.S. development assistance program. Bread for the World helped establish this program through the 2003 Offering of Letters and financial support from ELCA World Hunger.

Nubia is proud of her work. Because of her success, she is no longer worried about her future. She only hopes that her children can return. She says, “I named (the farm) Deysi, which is also my daughter’s name. Maybe it’s meant to be hers.”


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