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History of the Project

After receiving requests from civil society organizations following the political crisis, which began in Nicaragua in April 2018, PBI began an exploratory process in the region. During this process, we observed that due to the political repression they faced, a large number of Nicaraguans had fled the country, many of them — over 232,000 to date (May 2024) — requesting refugee status in neighbouring Costa Rica.

In order to respond to this context and the needs expressed by local organisations, in 2020, PBI launched a new accompaniment project in Costa Rica that focused on providing support to exiled Nicaraguan human rights defenders and social movements. The project currently provides organisational strengthening support to groups representing the student movement, the LGBTIQ+ community, feminist women, women from the Afro-Caribbean region of southern Nicaragua, and the peasant movement. Support includes psychosocial accompaniment and capacity development on protection strategies to prepare for an eventual return to their home country while fully exercising their rights. Workshop content and methodology are adapted to the specific needs of each group according to their own organisational processes, and are underpinned by incorporating a gender perspective and culture of peace as common threads.

Moreover, the Nicaragua in Costa Rica Project is making a significant impact. It supports the reconstruction of the social fabric of those in exile by organising exchange spaces. These spaces are focused on sharing knowledge and strategies for defending human rights with other HRDs from the region who are also accompanied by PBI. 

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