Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere.  It is still recovering from decades of dictatorship, civil war and natural disasters. The Somoza family ruled Nicaragua with US backing for over 40 years. 

The 1979 Sandinista revolution brought great progress in land redistribution, health and education – but had little chance withstanding US imposed trade sanctions and the US-sponsored Contra's counter-revolution.

Ten years of civil war left the economy and infrastructure in tatters. The Sandinistas lost the 1990 presidential elections and, though the advent of peace brought some economic growth, Nicaragua's economy continued to struggle throughout the 1990s.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch left 3,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.

ActionAid in Nicaragua
ActionAid UK supports the work of our Spanish sister organisation, Ayuda en Acción, in Nicaragua.

The main focus of our work is to improve health, education, livelihoods and access to safe water. We assist farmers, build and renovate schools, train teachers and healthcare workers, and establish gardens to provide medicinal plants.

We work closely with communities, especially women and children, to enable them to take charge of their own development and destiny.