Resistance & resilience: Nicaragua’s way out of poverty

The article is provided by Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group

For decades, Nicaragua has fought a vicious enemy determined to undermine and overthrow the Sandinista Revolution.

The country faced a 43-year long US-backed dictatorship (1936-1979), a brutal US-financed war during the 80s which cost 30,000 lives, 16 years of US-backed neoliberal governments, a vicious attempted coup in 2018, an ongoing propaganda campaign, a raft of US sanctions (illegal coercive measures) and, just recently, threats to throw Nicaragua out of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and impose 100% tariffs on goods imported from Nicaragua, a move which would destabilise not only Nicaragua but the whole region.

It is a great testament to the resistance and resilience of the Nicaraguan people that, despite the multiple forms of US attempts at destabilisation, they have managed to build a country which prioritises the needs of the many over the few.

Since its election in 2007, Nicaragua’s Sandinista government has successfully developed poverty reduction programmes which respect the human rights of all Nicaraguans, in particular the poorest and most vulnerable.

Almost 60% of the national budget goes on social programmes with priority given to health, education, housing, water, electricity and the right to food

The Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group is the leading UK organisation working in solidarity with Nicaragua.

We campaign to defend Nicaragua’s national sovereignty and the country’s right to determine its own future without external interference.

At the same time, we work in solidarity with Nicaragua’s trade unions who have no wish to return to the dark days of neo-liberalism under US-backed governments.

We are a small organisation with only two part-time members of staff and rely almost entirely on membership – both through individual memberships and trade union affiliations – for our funding and to continue our work.

We still need more support from branches, so we hope that some of you reading this will consider joining us if you have not already done so.

More information can be found on our website – www.nscag.org.uk – or you can email Louise Richards on [email protected]