Persistence and passionfruit: How the right tools and determination helped Mélida succeed

Mélida Urrutia knows that sending your kids to school is expensive. Before connecting with iDE, she was not able to cover school fees with the income she earned farming in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

For the past decade she’s been farming in what’s called the “Dry Corridor.” This is an area that experiences frequent climate challenges like hurricanes, floods and droughts.

After a disappointing first attempt at growing passionfruit, she was encouraged to try again and joined an iDE-run workshop. There she learned more about growing this in-demand crop. She also received start-up supplies and ongoing support from iDE.

With her knowledge and support, Mélida worked through challenges like drought and pests and was successful in growing passionfruit! Now she can pay for her kid’s school fees and even has money left for home improvements and investing back into her farm.

Mélida says “That’s why I’m really grateful. This is one of the blessings — that you could help us.”

Thanks to support from MCIC, iDE is working to power even more women like Mélida to earn an income growing passionfruit in Nicaragua. Income they can use to support themselves, their families and their communities.