Central America regional office

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Central America is a geographical zone which is particularly exposed to natural risks (e.g. earthquakes, cyclones, drought, volcanic eruptions). A high proportion of the populations of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras live below the poverty line. In 2003, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras were classified as medium human development zones with a respective HDI rank of 112, 104 and 116 (UNDP report 2006). Therefore, these countries have a certain number of socio-economic and geographical characteristics in common that explain the situations of vulnerability and poverty in which the populations find themselves. The main problems are:
• unemployment and under-employment
• no access to the land in rural areas
• unsafe housing
• violence in families and communities
• criminality
• unequal access to the basic social services of health and education

In Nicaragua, there is an average of 10.25% disabled people (ENDIS 2003) of whom 80% live in poverty or extreme poverty.
In Honduras, the WHO estimates that 14 % of the population is disabled and the INE (National Institute of Statistic) estimates that this is 2.4% of the population.

BACKGROUND
1997: support of 5 organisations for people with disabilities in Chontales (Nicaragua).
1998: assistance to victims of hurricane Mitch
2000: start of the local development support project in Tipitapa (Nicaragua). Start of the project to enhance the system of global inclusion of disabled people in the Estelí department (Nicaragua).
2001: emergency project in El Salvador, following earthquakes. Natural risk preparedness and management project, Usulutan department (El Salvador).
2002: start of the project to support the Tipitapa local authority in establishing a Concerted Municipal Planning Process then progressively integrating disability issues into the municipality’s development plans.
2003: Nicaragua and El Salvador programmes merged into a single programme known as Central America. Support for actions initiated by voluntary organisations run by and for people with disabilities in Honduras. Start of the project to support the Community Based rehabilitation actions in Tipitapa Municipality.
2004: Closure of the office in Salvador and establishment of partnership with the orthopaedic department of the Don Bosco University to train professionals at regional level.
2005: in Nicaragua, start of the inclusive education project in the Northern Region and start of the promotion of inclusive development project at national level with the World Bank. Handicap International set up an office in Honduras and implements the project “Capacity building for organisations of the Disabled”. Start of partnership with the InterAmerican Institute of Disability (IID) based in Costa Rica on disabled people human rights and the elaboration of the UN International Convention on the Rights of Disabled People

ACTIVITIES

a) Improving inclusion mechanisms for disabled people
(Estelí department – Nicaragua)

• Support for the department’s health administration in
  - preventing disabilities and generalising early detection
  - managing physical medicine and rehabilitation services
  - developing its community-based rehabilitation programme
• Support for 4 physiotherapy services and for 1 orthopaedic centre: rehabilitating the infrastructure, equipment, training, advice, logistical and financial support.
• With 6 local organisations, setting up a system of credit and social and economic support for people with disabilities
• Support for the disabled and for the department’s voluntary and institutional organisations that run projects involving awareness-raising and the socio-economic integration of people with disabilities.

b) Support the Community Based Rehabilitation actions in Tipitapa Municipality (Tipitapa parish – Nicaragua)

• Support the municipal health system to provide improved access to health, physical rehabilitation and disability prevention for people with disabilities
• Support the Departmental delegation of Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture for an improved access to inclusive education for disabled people
• Support disabled people to have increased social inclusion and participation
• Support professional inclusion of disabled people through credit access, income generating activities and access to formal employment

c) Inclusive education in 4 departments of Nicaragua

• Strengthen the physical accessibility of the 30 targeted schools
• Support the departmental delegation of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture to improve the quality of teaching provided to children with special educational needs
• Sensitize parents, social actors, public institutions and the population on inclusive education and promote the inclusion of children with special education needs

Read more about our work on Inclusive Education in Nicaragua

d) Support national and regional dynamics for disabled people

• Support local organisations to implement a project benefiting disabled people
• Promotion of inclusive development (capacity building of disabled people organizations, sensitization and advocacy) in collaboration with the World Bank
• Promotion of the disabled people rights in collaboration with the InterAmerican Institute of Disability through the implementation of the “South project” : Capacity building and participation of disabled people organisation leaders from developing countries to the elaboration of the UN International Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, capacity building of Nicaraguan DPO leaders, support to the Human Rights Ombudsman for disabled people of Nicaragua.

BENEFICIARIES
People with disabilities: about 3,000 people directly (rehabilitation, training, etc.); around 25,000 people indirectly (awareness-raising, information, guidance, etc.)
People in highly vulnerable situations: 20,000 people.

Read the story of Boanerges in Nicaragua.

RESOURCES
Expatriates: 3 people (1 programme director, 1 coordinator, 1 project leader in Honduras)

Local staff: 43 people, including:
- 1 Nicaragua Northern Region Estelí project leader
- 1 Tipitapa project leader
- 1 Inclusion and Disability Adviser
- 3 technical coordinators/advisers in Health and rehabilitation, inclusive education and project cycle management
- Specialist technicians in charge of health, inclusive education, social and professional inclusion project components
- 1 head of Administration and Finance Department

The programme can call on multidisciplinary resources mainly assigned to a specific area of activity and able to be mobilised depending on what our actions (national or regional) require.

CONTACTS
In Central America (based in Nicaragua)
E-mail: hinic_recepcion@cablenet.com.ni