Central America And Caribbean
Historically Central America includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but it can be extended to Panama, Belize and the south-eastern part of Mexico on the ground of their common historic and environmental characteristics.
The inhabitants of the Atlantic coasts - and in particular the descendants from African people – keep closer connections with the insular populations due to their common cultural Caribbean references.
To-day Central America has changed its economic model, going from the traditional one (based on the export of agricultural products –such as bananas and coffee-), to a new one based on the utilisation of low-cost work-force (maquilas) and on natural resources ( biodiversity, wood, tourism, etc.). Even in this context most part of the population both in urban and in rural areas lives in conditions of extreme poverty. These conditions apply also to the almost totality of the indigenous population.
Terra Nuova works in this area since 1983, mainly in Nicaragua and Guatemala. During these 20 years Terra Nuova has based its strategies on the support of social groups such as women, children, small rural producers and the indigenous population. It worked for the promotion of networks and to reinforce organisational and methodological capacity of social actors and local organisations. The several intervention plans that have been developed are mainly concerned with the protection of children, adolescents and young people rights and the promotion of their participation; the appreciation of native cultures (ethnic and indigenous) and their right to self-determination; the sustainable management of the territory.