About Nicaragua
Nicaragua has a population of 5,788,531 citizens, 72% of which are under 30 years of age (CIA World Factbook, 2013). According to the International Monetary Fund, Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere based on GDP per capita. While life for some Nicaraguans has improved over the past 15 years, for most it is a still a constant struggle just to find and keep a job, earn enough money to put food on the table, obtain basic medical care and medicine, as well as pay for tuition, books and uniforms to send their children to public schools.
The Communities CANTERA Accompanies
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From Camille Vaughn,
Development Coordinator of CANTERA and Liaison to the Friends of Cantera Executive Board It would be easy to describe many of the areas where CANTERA works as the “poorest of the poor” and at times, it is a very simplified way to create a concrete image for our wonderful supporters who have not been able to visit us here in Nicaragua. However, the people that we accompany are not only defined by their economic status and we wish to give more weight to their personal experience by sharing with you how CANTERA determines which communities we support, as it is a thought-out and intentional decision. Level of vulnerability CANTERA works with communities that experience high amounts of vulnerability due to economic, cultural, political and environmental causes. In rural areas, vulnerability may take form in environmental changes such as drought and soil erosion as well as lack of accessibility to water, transportation, safe roads, education, healthcare and other basic needs. In urban areas, vulnerability can be characterized by lack of access to proper waste management, lack of employment opportunities, lack of police presence, child labor, school drop-out rates, and gang violence. |
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Lack of governmental or other non-profit programs
We consider if governmental and/or other nonprofit organizations are present within the community . CANTERA wants to work in areas that have slipped through the cracks of support provided by other entities and would therefore benefit more from our accompaniment. A prime example of this is the neighborhoods Jorge Dimitrov, Ciudad Sandino, and San Judas. These three areas were cited as being within the top five most dangerous areas in the country, and the stigma that surrounded them made it hard for other assistance programs to work with them. These factors motivated CANTERA to begin accompanying these neighborhoods, and now the areas around CANTERA's centers have become known for being peaceful and safer.
Desire to work with other communities
Historically, communities have sought CANTERA out because they have heard of the success of our methodology. They want to be involved in our sociocultural activities and personal formation workshops, and through these they become committed to being a driving force in personal and communal transformation. We look for individuals and communities that are willing to truly enact popular education by working with and among other people and communities, and by sharing experiences with each other, both teaching and learning at the same time. Ultimately, CANTERA can only provide resources and support; it is the individual participants within the communities that advocate and create change within themselves, their families, and their community.
An openness to the values of CANTERA
Lastly, we seek out individuals and communities that are open to the ideas that CANTERA values and believes will create a more just, equitable, and sustainable society. These include:
We consider if governmental and/or other nonprofit organizations are present within the community . CANTERA wants to work in areas that have slipped through the cracks of support provided by other entities and would therefore benefit more from our accompaniment. A prime example of this is the neighborhoods Jorge Dimitrov, Ciudad Sandino, and San Judas. These three areas were cited as being within the top five most dangerous areas in the country, and the stigma that surrounded them made it hard for other assistance programs to work with them. These factors motivated CANTERA to begin accompanying these neighborhoods, and now the areas around CANTERA's centers have become known for being peaceful and safer.
Desire to work with other communities
Historically, communities have sought CANTERA out because they have heard of the success of our methodology. They want to be involved in our sociocultural activities and personal formation workshops, and through these they become committed to being a driving force in personal and communal transformation. We look for individuals and communities that are willing to truly enact popular education by working with and among other people and communities, and by sharing experiences with each other, both teaching and learning at the same time. Ultimately, CANTERA can only provide resources and support; it is the individual participants within the communities that advocate and create change within themselves, their families, and their community.
An openness to the values of CANTERA
Lastly, we seek out individuals and communities that are open to the ideas that CANTERA values and believes will create a more just, equitable, and sustainable society. These include:
- Popular Education: critical, questioning and demanding analysis of reality
- Gender: deconstruction of the patriarchal identity of both men and women, building new relationships of equality, and promoting political commitment to transform reality
- Spirituality and Ethics: personal and community transformation by reviving identity and values from a holistic approach of reality, creating a balance between body and spirit, between humans and nature, and between the dreams and realities we seek to transform
- Community Health and Environment: adopt alternative health and hygiene practices with an awareness to maintain environmental and ecological balance
- Innovation: promotion of creativity for sustainability
- Advocacy: active participation in different organizational processes on a local, municipal and national level.
