Nicaragua’s predominantly rural North Atlantic Coast has been devastated by decades of war, government neglect, and US-driven economic policies that have undermined local economies and traditional ways of life. For 2003, the MBF will be partnering with MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization, to support Harvesting Hope, a project of Wangki Luhpia.

The Fund will provide approximately half the budget of Harvesting Hope, which seeks to alleviate depression, trauma, and a pervasive sense of powerlessness among the people of two indigenous Miskito communities. This project will provide both agricultural and human rights training as well as seeds and livestock to families in these communities, in order to increase their self-sufficiency and ensure sustainable access to food, while also strengthening local indigenous women’s organizations and empowering them to exercise the full range of their human rights.