The 1979 Sandinista Revolution, which toppled the brutal dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle, launched Nicaragua into international attention. The U.S.-backed Contra counter-revolutionary war that ensued in the eighties left the country in ruins and partly led to the Sandinista government to call for elections to cease the hostilities. Since the politically tumultuous 1970s and 1980s, life has not been easy in Nicaragua. Due to the misguided neoliberal economic agreements signed with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), not to mention the imminent threat of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), a majority of Nicaraguans find themselves without work, health care, education or other basic social services. Some regions of Nicaragua have been devastated in recent years by natural disasters, famine, and a severe recession in the global coffee industry. This has hit Nicaraguan campesinos especially hard. Despite the hardships they face, ordinary Nicaraguans have not given up hope and are resisting the neoliberal economic programs imposed upon them, offering alternative models centered on peoples needs, not on profits for the few.
Daniel Ortega, former leader in the Sandinista Liberation Front and current president of Nicaragua, promises to ease widespread poverty and achieve greater national independence from the U.S.; his method— to promote free trade and increase foreign investment in Nicaragua. Though his victory as a left-wing politician in November 2006 marked a transformative period in Nicaraguan history, what Ortega's presidency will do to secure greater social and economic justice in Nicaragua is controversial. Participants on this delegation will see first hand the political changes taking place in Nicaragua; more importantly they will participate in movements establishing social justice at a grassroots level.
You will have the opportunity to live and work with Nicaraguan campesinos who have been in the forefront of the growing Fair Trade movement, which has allowed them to receive enough money for their crops to support themselves and their families. You will meet with women maquiladora workers and trade unionists who have fought for equality in the factories and struggled to organize unions in Managua's harsh sweatshop zones. You will hear the voices of members of civil society that were silenced during the negotiations of the Central American Free Trade Agreement and will learn about the popular resistance against its ratification in the Nicaraguan congress. You will meet with students, environmentalists, and human rights activists organizing for a more just and equitable society. Now more than ever it is important that the international community understands the failure of neoliberal economic policies in Nicaragua, their negative effects on ordinary people, and how developed nations like the U.S. are complicit.
Note: The activities of this trip can be physically straining. If you have any health concerns, please contact the program coordinator.
Program Highlights:
- Visit coffee cooperatives and other projects of sustainable development in Nicaragua's agricultural North.
- Live and work for four days with family members of CECOCAFEN, a fair trade coffee cooperative in Matagalpa.
- Learn what life is like for non-fair trade coffee farmers and laborers.
- Learn about the history of cooperatives and how they are organized.
- Visit various parts of the community, such as the barrios of hacienda laborers.
- Learn to cook typical foods.
- Visit the beautiful colonial town of Granada and the Masaya volcano.
- Meet with maquiladora workers from Managua's infamous "Free Trade" Factory Zones.
- Learn about the popular resistance against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and the threats it represents for the people and the environment.
- Meet with indigenous people fighting for indigenous land rights.
- Meet with students, environmentalists and human rights activists working towards social justice.
- Learn about the struggle against water privatization.
- Meet with members of the official FSLN Sandinista party.
- Meet with members of the Sandinista Trade Union movement and learn about how you can become involved in cross-border labor solidarity.
- All highlights and activities subject to change, as conditions permit. Please contact Program Coordinator for sample itinerary and details.
Cost: $1300
Price Includes:
- Housing and three meals per day with families in Matagalpa. In Managua: double-room accommodations; two meals per day; transportation to and from all programmed activities; a qualified bilingual trip leader; all program activities; and reading materials.
- NOT INCLUDED: airfare, airport departure taxes, lunches, tips, and personal expenses. Single rooms are available for an additional $200.
- Please note: Participants will arrive and depart from the Managua airport. All Global Exchange participants who arrive and depart on scheduled trip dates are guaranteed airport transportation. Please notify program coordinator with special travel arrangements.
How to Register:
We must receive your application and a non-refundable deposit of $400 two months before departure. A late fee of $50 will be applied to late applications. Payments by Mastercard or Visa are welcome.This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. In some cases, a limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.
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