WCCN's Work in Nicaragua
By Carlos Arenas, WCCN Executive Director
In addition to being based in Wisconsin and focusing their work on Nicaragua, the Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua (WCCN) and the Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project have another main thing in common. The members of both organizations share a deep commitment to work with Nicaraguans to overcome the many challenges they face. As a result, our boards of directors have agreed to explore ways of collaborating.
WCCN has a 22 year history of working with Nicaragua, devoting its first seven years to developing and coordinating a nation-wide network of sister city groups, working in solidarity with Nicaragua and opposing the financial and military support that the Reagan Administration provided to the Contras. After the end of the Contra war and the electoral defeat of the Sandinistas in the presidential election of 1990, WCCN turned its main focus to issues surrounding development.
WCCN’s main projects started in very different ways. Fifteen years ago we were approached by the Nicaraguan Council of Protestant Churches (CEPAD), looking for a partner organization in the U.S. to help them channel invested money to their credit program in Nicaragua. In 1998 WCCN launched the NICA Fund, with the idea of lending to other microfinance organizations as well. This diversification reduced the risk of lending to a single organization, making the fund stronger and safer. As a result, during the last 15 years, WCCN has channeled $27 million from socially responsible investors to microfinance organizations in Nicaragua. Currently, we have $6 million lent out and making a difference for about 9,500 small borrowers in Nicaragua.
WCCN’s partnership with the Nicaraguan women’s movement started with a delegation to Nicaragua in 1990 . Since then, WCCN has worked with Nicaraguan women’s groups raising awareness of issues Nicaraguan women face. Currently we focus on three main issues: women’s access to credit, access to land, and access to economic resources. Our current projects include facilitating access to land for women near Leon, and helping women in Esteli find a market for their fair trade coffee.
WCCN started working on housing issues after being invited by an international organization to collaborate on a report on housing conditions in Nicaragua. After publishing this report, WCCN partnered with the Nicaraguan housing organization HABITAR to start a small revolving fund to improve the water and sanitary conditions of poor families that are not currently connected to the public sewer system.
WCCN is looking forward to joining forces with the Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project to continue to support Nicaraguans in their grassroots efforts to overcome poverty.
In addition to being based in Wisconsin and focusing their work on Nicaragua, the Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua (WCCN) and the Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project have another main thing in common. The members of both organizations share a deep commitment to work with Nicaraguans to overcome the many challenges they face. As a result, our boards of directors have agreed to explore ways of collaborating.
WCCN has a 22 year history of working with Nicaragua, devoting its first seven years to developing and coordinating a nation-wide network of sister city groups, working in solidarity with Nicaragua and opposing the financial and military support that the Reagan Administration provided to the Contras. After the end of the Contra war and the electoral defeat of the Sandinistas in the presidential election of 1990, WCCN turned its main focus to issues surrounding development.
WCCN’s main projects started in very different ways. Fifteen years ago we were approached by the Nicaraguan Council of Protestant Churches (CEPAD), looking for a partner organization in the U.S. to help them channel invested money to their credit program in Nicaragua. In 1998 WCCN launched the NICA Fund, with the idea of lending to other microfinance organizations as well. This diversification reduced the risk of lending to a single organization, making the fund stronger and safer. As a result, during the last 15 years, WCCN has channeled $27 million from socially responsible investors to microfinance organizations in Nicaragua. Currently, we have $6 million lent out and making a difference for about 9,500 small borrowers in Nicaragua.
WCCN’s partnership with the Nicaraguan women’s movement started with a delegation to Nicaragua in 1990 . Since then, WCCN has worked with Nicaraguan women’s groups raising awareness of issues Nicaraguan women face. Currently we focus on three main issues: women’s access to credit, access to land, and access to economic resources. Our current projects include facilitating access to land for women near Leon, and helping women in Esteli find a market for their fair trade coffee.
WCCN started working on housing issues after being invited by an international organization to collaborate on a report on housing conditions in Nicaragua. After publishing this report, WCCN partnered with the Nicaraguan housing organization HABITAR to start a small revolving fund to improve the water and sanitary conditions of poor families that are not currently connected to the public sewer system.
WCCN is looking forward to joining forces with the Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project to continue to support Nicaraguans in their grassroots efforts to overcome poverty.
