Student Travel
Understanding Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a country of 5.1 million people with a land area slightly smaller than the state of New York. Nicaragua is the third poorest country in the Americas, with a per capita gross national product of $453. Poverty affects 2.3 million persons, 831,000 of whom live in extreme poverty, mainly in the Central and Atlantic regions. One of every three children has some degree of chronic malnutrition and nine per cent suffer from severe malnutrition.
In 1980, Nicaragua embarked on a path of profound political change with the defeat of the Somosa regime and the beginning of democratic and social reforms including a constitution supporting the rights of its citizens. In 2005, Nicaragua marked its 25th anniversary as a democratic state. The country has a political system with two major parties, the Liberales, a conservative party, and the FSLN, a progressive party, with a host of minor parties spanning the political spectrum. Nicaragua has a tripartite system of government with executive, unicameral legislative and judicial branches. National and regional elections are held every six years.
ViviendasLeon is headquartered in Leon, a city two hours northwest of the capital, Managua. Our program participants live and explore the city and work in the outlying rural communities. With a population of approximately 160,000, it is the second largest city in Nicaragua. Leon is a Spanish colonial city founded by the conquistador Hernandez de Cordoba in 1523. It was the capital of Nicaragua for more than 200 years until 1858. Leon lies in a broad agricultural plain bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by a string of volcanoes, some active and others dormant. León has earned its reputation as the intellectual and progressive center of Nicaragua; the city is home to both the National Autonomous University, UNAN, offering degrees in sciences and economics leading to higher degrees in medicine, pharmacology and economics, and the National School of Law, UCN. The city's main attractions are its Cathedral - the largest in Central America, museums of local folkloric culture, a revolutionary history museum and a new art museum in a recently restored Casa Vieja near the Central Plaza. León also has a thriving cultural center that offers classes in dance, music and fine arts.
León is also a very international city. Because of its beauty and political importance, many people from around the world travel to León. There are many well-established aid organizations including CARE, the United Nations, and Save the Children. There are also hundreds of Non-Governmental Organizations or NGOs, working on development projects with communities throughout the region. These NGOs originate from many foreign countries such as Austria, Germany, Denmark and Japan. From the United States, organizations from Connecticut, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and New York contribute greatly to León's infrastructure.
For more information on Nicaragua click here.