Nicaragua

	Progressio country representative in Managua:
	Patricio Cranshaw
	Programme Coordinator in London:
	Belisario Nieto
	No. of development workers currently in post:
	9
	We have been working in Nicaragua since the 1970s

Progressio has been working in Nicaragua since the 1970s. The current focus of Progressio's work is to encourage greater citizen involvement, develop a sustainable environment, combat HIV and AIDS, and promote women's rights. For many years, Nicaragua was ruled by the US-backed dictatorship of the Somoza family, who were overthrown by a popular uprising led by the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) in 1979.

Once in power, the FSLN introduced positive democratic, social and economic policies that went a long way to reducing poverty and social inequality. The FSLN lost power in the 1990 presidential election to a right-wing candidate. Since then, many social gains that were made under the FSLN have been eradicated. However, in 2006, the FSLN were returned to power with the election of Daniel Ortega as President of Nicaragua. It is not yet clear whether the new administration will bring a positive climate for Progressio's work in Nicaragua.

Progressio's development workers have:

• strengthened advocacy by partner organisations working with networks of women, young people, community leaders, environmental groups and university lecturers to influence national policy on development and the economy, in order to replace social exclusion or inequity with social justice.
• supported the profile-raising of 405 farmers' leaders, and successful advocacy on issues of water, food sovereignty, agro-ecology and community trade
• established mixed and young women's groups to raise awareness of their behaviour in relation to HIV and AIDS, and of the rights of people living with HIV
• strengthened an environmental grassroots organisation and supported its successful advocacy on forestry, involving state institutions, local government, local environmental management structures and NGOs
• produced educational communication materials on HIV and the environment in Nicaragua, for national and UK audiences

The Challenge

Progressio aims to achieve the following by 2010:

• Increase work on HIV and AIDS in Nicaragua
• Nicaragua is the only Latin American country identified by the World Bank, the EU and DFID as in need of economic assistance. Despite many challenges, Progressio will strive to make use of and act on this global development priority to do all it can to tackle poverty and injustice in Nicaragua.