Press release

CANCELLATION OF FADCANIC'S LEGAL STATUS

The team of the Foundation for the Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast of

Nicaragua (FADCANIC) expresses its gratitude to friends, workers, donors and beneficiaries who

through different media outlets publicly expressed their solidarity with FADCANIC and their

disagreement and opposition to the decision taken by the government of Nicaragua to cancel

the legal status of FADCANIC.

All who have struggled, directly or indirectly with FADCANIC, is familiar with our system of work.

We are not perfect, we made mistakes, but we have always respected community leadership

and communal ownership of property. Youth and women have always been priority in our

programs and projects. Our financial and program reports were always delivered on time and

in the form requested by the Ministry of the Interior (MIGOB). Local institutions and professionals

who have always audited our projects can attest that FADCANIC has complied fully with our

social, fiscal and labor responsibilities.

In 32 years of service to the families of Caribbean Nicaragua, we have achieved the following:

a. We have strengthened local capacities so that they can now successfully carry out the

coordination of approved programs and projects. We know that “Costeñas and

Costeños” must build a better homeland. We the Costeñas and Costeños of this

generation must become the architect and builder of a better tomorrow for our

children´s, children. That is why our 110 workers from both autonomous regions were

almost 100% native born costeñas and costeños, these workers were hired, not because

of political preferences, but because of their capacity and professionalism.

b. Our workers were encouraged to always strive to do their jobs to the best of their abilities

because the building of a better homeland is always a never ending lifelong

responsibility.

c. With a quality and united team of workers from both autonomous Regions, The next step

was to strive to provide quality education. To the children of the Indigenous

Afrodescendant and Mestizo families of Caribbean Nicaragua, to be able to accomplish

this task it was necessary to have qualified teachers in the classrooms, which is how the

program, Professionalization of Empirical Teachers of the Southern Caribbean, began.

Over the past twenty years, the program has managed to reduce teacher´s empiricism

in the South Caribbean from 82% to 19%.

d. During that same first stage, FADCANIC selected an outstanding group of High School

graduates from the North and South Caribbean to go to specialize in some of the best

universities of Mexico, with all their expenses paid. These young people completed their
 higher education very successfully in the Republic of Mexico and today occupy

important management positions in both Autonomous Regions.

Simultaneously, with a leap of faith URACCAN was established, in both North and South

Autonomous Regions and Nueva Guinea, the first intercultural university of the Caribbean

Region of Nicaragua.

e. During that same stage, two educational centers were established, “CETAA, and PLACE”,

The Center for Technical Education in Environmental and Agroforestal Studies and Pearl

Lagoon's Academy of Excellence", both, outstanding centers of education, located in

the municipality of “Pearl Lagoon”, which have provided, youth from all Municipalities of

Caribbean Nicaraguan, at no cost to their parents, with quality technical, academic and

intercultural education, in addition, to extensive knowledge about Regional Autonomy

and ethnic pride. At the beginning of year 2022, enrollment in both schools was more

than 550 students with a teaching and administrative staff of 60 women and men.

f. In addition to quality education, FADCANIC made a special effort to provide youth and

women with the opportunity to establish or strengthen their own business. In the South

Caribbean, 45 youth businesses began operation, and with the revolving fund program

many businesses were strengthened, especially women's businesses which enabled

these mothers to achieve economic independence.

g. With the revolving fund program, FADCANIC also helped small agroforestal producers

and other community members to get low-interest loans to improve their homes, their

farms and small businesses.

h. FADCANIC, always strived to work on a sustainability plan so as not to depend exclusively

on funding from foreign cooperation. The difficult struggle for the survival of our

organization since 1990 convinced us that, “there is no genuine autonomy if there is no

economic self-sufficiency”. “He/she, who has to beg for a living, usually cannot decide

how to live a meaningful life”. This conviction pushed us to start struggling to achieve the

economic self-sustainability of our programs.

i. The struggle to achieve genuine autonomy for FADCANIC began with the establishment

of 200 manzanas of coconut trees that are, already in production in Wawashang and

Pondler, and 50 manzanas of cacao that are also already in production in Wawashang.

j. One hundred and twenty-five manzanas of these coconut trees, that are already in

production, are established on Pearl Lagoon´s communal lands, and according to the

law of this country, now that the Government of Nicaragua has arbitrarity canceled the

legal status of FADCANIC, these 125 manzanas of coconut trees, in Pondler, belongs to

the community of Pearl Lagoon and it´s the responsibility of its communal council to make

sure that this valuable property, which can provide lots of wealth and benefit for more

than 40 years to the families of the community of Pearl Lagoon, be well managed,

k. The 75 manzanas of coconut trees, and 50 manzanas of cocoa in Wawashang, are

established on Tasbapauni´s communal lands, and according to the Law of this country,

now belong to the community of Tasbapauni, and its therefore the responsibility of the

communal council of Tasbapauni to make sure that this valuable property be well
 managed so that the women, men and children of Tasbapauni can enjoy and benefit,

for many years to come, from the valuable products of their lands.

With this agroforestal production FADCANIC had begun to partly support different

components of our programs and projects.

l. As a contribution to the sustainable management of the natural resources and the

environment of Caribbean Nicaragua, Kahka Creek Nature Reserve was established, as

an area of natural conservation, where mother Nature is allowed to flourish and develop

at its own pace. Kahka Creek Reserve is part of the Wawashang Nature Reserve, where

tourism and the protection of an endangered specie, the Tapir, (Mountain Cow-Danto),

is being carried out. This nature reserve is established on communal lands of Tasbapaunie

and it’s the responsibility of the Communal Council of that community to make sure that

this valuable communal property is well managed.

FADCANIC, has done its best to motivate and help the indigenous, Afro-descendant and mestizo

peoples of Caribbean Nicaragua, to begin to build a better homeland. Should this struggle to

build a better homeland be arbitrarily stopped?

WE ARE PROUDLY FADCANIC!