======================= SANDINISTA ACHIEVEMENTS ======================= AMONG THE FOUR COUNTIES in the region where Oxfam America works [Nicaragua, El Salvador, guatemala, and Honduras], only in Nicaragua has a substantial effort been made to address inequities in land ownership and to extend health, educational, and agricultural services to poor peasant families. But the contra war had slowed by pace of social reform and compounded hunger in the northern countryside. --Oxfam America report on Central America - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --> [Send the 1-line message GET FSLN ACHIEVE ACTIV-L to ] [LISTSERV@UMCVMB.BITNET for a copy of this file. ] --> [Send GET ACTIV-L ARCHIVE ACTIV-L to above address for a ] [listing with brief descriptions of other files available] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oxfam's parent organization in London, in a report entitled _The Threat of a Good Example?_ states that "from Oxfams' experience of working in 76 developing countries, Nicaragua was to prove exceptional in the strength of that government's commitment `to improving the condition of the people and encouraging their active participation in the development process' [quoting from the World Bank]." Oxfam America went on to point out that in contrast with the effective land reform in Nicaragua, the one in El Salvador "has not been carried out" and "was not intended to benefit the rural poor in the first place." In Guatemala there has been no pretense at land reform, as the oligarchy has objected strongly even to resettling peasants on government-owned land, which would reduce the supply of cheap labor on the large farms. In the 85 opinion pieces on Nicaragua in the Times and Post referred to earlier, only two make even passing reference to the Sandinista social programs, and none compares them with those of the U.S. clients in the area. Edward S. Herman [Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania] in Covert Action Information Bulletin, Winter 1987 ============================================== Life Before the Revolution -- a brief overview ============================================== "The National Guard quickly became the personal army of the Somozas. With political power came economic power, passed on from father to sons. The family came to own a quarter of Nicaragua's land, plus banks, ports, newspapers, airlines, a shipping fleet, and many industries ... In 1979, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, son of the original dictator, was estimated to be the ninth richest man in the world. "By the eve of the revolution, 60% of the people i the countryside had no land at all. More than half the country's land was in the hands of 1% of the landowners. The majority of the population lived in dire poverty. 50% of children over five suffered from malnutrition. 46% died before the age of four. "Before fleeing the country, Somoza had bombed schools, hospitals, factories, and housing... Somoza has looted the national treasure and left the country with one of the world's highest per capita debts." [Oxfam America _Nicaragua: Development Under Fire_, 1984.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "When the successful ``final offensive'' defeated [Somoza's National] Guard and brought the Sandinistas to power, Nicaragua's new government found the country in a desperate situation. Almost two percent of the population had died in the insurrection, and many more were wounded. Material damage from the war was great, perhaps half a billion dollars, while foreign debt came to $1.6 billion. The later amounted to approximately $640 per capita, three times the median annual income of the poorer 50% of the population. (The average GNP per capita for all Nicaraguans was slightly over $800) The national treasury had been looted, while the Somoza family had accumulated a fortune of over $500 million. [8]" [8]: Howard Wiarda and Harvey Kline (editors), _Latin American Politics and Development_ (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1985), chapter 21, especially page 509 [Page 27 in: _What Are We Afraid Of? An Assessment of the ``Communist Threat'' in Central America_ by John Lamperti, for the American Friends Service Committee (published also by South End Press) $5 plus $2 shipping from: Literature Resources // American Friends Service Committee // 1501 Cherry St. // Philadelphia, PA 19102 TEL (215)-241-7048 or 7167. See AML resource files AFSCcatalog and South.end.press.] ################################################################## SANDINISTA ACHIEVEMENTS ======================= For a deeper analysis, see first and foremost the Oxfam America report on Nicaragua for '83-'84; send the command GET OXFAM84 NICARAG ACTIV-L to LISTSERV@UMCVMB.BITNET. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Nicaragua was honored by UNESCO for its National Literacy Campaign, which reduced the nation's illiteracy rate from over 50 percent to below 15 percent. The revolution has brought health services, especially preventative medicine, to thousands of Nicaraguans who previously had no such care, and in 1982 the World Health Organization awarded Nicaragua its prize for the most significant achievement in public health by a Third World nation..." [See Thomas W. Walker (editor) _Nicaragua: the First Five Years_ New York, Praeger Publishers, 1985] [From: John Lamperti, _What Are We Afraid Of?_, published by South End Press (1988) and available also through the American Friends (as in Quaker) Service Committee for $5 plus postage; write or call: Literature Resources // American Friends Service Committee 1501 Cherry St. // Philadelphia, PA 19102 The phone nubmer is (215)-241-7048 or 7167 Free catalog available as well at this number/address] ################################################################## Social Progress in Nicaragua, 1978-1984 1978-1979 1983-1984 Health Indicators ================= Infant mortality 121 74 (per 1,000) % of Population with Access to 28 80 Medical Care Primary Care Units 172 446 Cases of Disease: Measles 901 104 Polio 36 0 Tuberculosis 1,645 950 Education Advances ================== Illiteracy 50% 13% % of GNP for Education 1% 5% # of children in preschools 9,000 70,000 Total School Population 501,000 1,127,428 Organized Labor =============== % of Workforce Organized 6% 40% __________________________________________________________________ SOURCES: _Central America Bulletin_, Nov. 1984; Oxfam America "Facts for Action Nicaragua: Development Under Fire," No. 8, 1984; Institute for Food and Development Policy _What Difference Could a Revolution Make_, 1985; _American Journal of Public Health_, October 1984. ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Progress of the Revolution "The Sandinistas inherited a country with the worst life expectancy in Central America and one of the highest infant mortality rates. The heath-care and education programs of the new government brought the Sandinistas international acclaim. "Some indicators of the advances made by the Nicaraguan revolution in its first four years include: * World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) both gave Nicaragua their awards for best health achievement in the third world. * Nicaragua was unanimously chosed by the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural "Organization (UNESCO) in 1980 for its Grand Prize in recognition for the country's National Literacy Crusade. * After three years, Nicaraguans were eating 30 to 40 percent more rice, beans, and corn than before 1979. * Diarrhea, the leading prerevolutionary cause of infant mortality, fell to fourth among causes by 1983. * In recognition of its advances in health care, a Nicaraguan was elected as the president of the Pan American Health Organization in 1982. [53] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Setbacks Caused by Contra War, 1981-84 * Infrastructure damage that cost the country more than $375 million. [In fact, the total assessment against the U.S. [Reagan Administration] by the World Court, which ruled for Nicaragua against Washington's terrorist war(*), was $17 *billion* in damages --HB] [*Send the command GET CONTRA TERROR ACTIV-L to LISTSERV@UMCVMB.BITNET] *Over 150,000 nicaraguans displaced or relocated. * Defense budget increased from 7 percent of GDP in 1980-1981 to 40 percent in 1985. * Forty-one health-care centers destroyed by contras and termination of popular health brigades in war zones because of death toll of health workers. * Fifteen rural schools partially destroyed, construction of 27 interrupted, and 138 primary and 647 adult education centers closed in war zones. * Twenty-three primary school and 135 popular education teachers murdered by contras * Close to 3000 nicaraguans killed by contras. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [53] Jay Levin, "preparedness or Propaganda," _San Francisco Bay Guardian_, January 1, 1985; Oxfam-America, _Facts for Action_, No. 8; State Department, "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1983" [From: The Central America Fact Book. By Tom Barry and Deb Preusch. Published by Grove Press, Inc., 196 West Houston Street, New York, NY 10014, published 1986 in New York.] [Copyright 1986 by The Resource Center. "The Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center is a non-profit organization that produces repots, books, and slide/tape shows on Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. For more information: The Resource Center, P.O. Box 4506, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196"] ################################################################## "Achievements in health care have also been great. 80,000 volunteers were trained in preventative medicine. One result was a 50% drop in malaria. The incidence of measles, a prime killer of children in Somoza's day, decreased from 3,784 in 1981 to 219 in 1982. Effective use of oral rehydration techniques has led to a dramatic decline in deaths from diarrhea. The percentage of the national budget spent on health has increased 600%" From Oxfam America, _Facts for Action_ [September, 1983]; "Nicaragua: Development Under Fire" ################################################################## Central America: Economic and Social Comparisons, 1979-1985 Socioeconomic Ranking* Adult Literacy (141) countries (142) Rate % 1979 1983 1979 1983 Costa Rica 52 65 93 93 El Salvador 82 89 63 66 Guatemala 86 90 50 54 Honduras 92 93 60 62 Nicaragua 86 75 50 88 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Public Expenditures Infant Mortality Rate Public Expenditures Education Deaths under one year Health Per Capita $US per 1,000 live births Per Capita $US 1979 1983 1979 1983 1979 1983 Costa Rica 92 58 22 20 19 24 El Salvador 24 28 53 71 9 11 Guatemala 19 20 69 64 9 16 Honduras 20 28 103 81 10 11 Nicaragua 19 40 122 75 10 40 * Average ranks of Gross National Product, Health and Educations per capita (lower number means higher rank) Research assistance by Laura Henze _Sources:_ Ruth Leger Sivard, _World Military and Social Expenditures 1982 and 1986_ (Washington, DC: World Priorities); Inter-American Development Bank, _Economic and Social Progress in Latin America 1986 Report_; Michael E. Conroy, "Economic Legacy and Policies," Table 10.2, in Walker, ed. _Nicaragua,_ p.224 From page 64 in: Washington's War on Nicaragua, by Holly Sklar 1988, South End Press, Boston [South End Press, 300 Raritan Center Parkway, Edison, NJ 08818] [For a free catalog: 1-800-533-8478; see AML resource files] ================================================== Augmenting the Infant Mortality chart in Sklar's book with data from the 1990 World Almanac and Book of Facts: Infant Mortality Rate From 1990 Deaths under one year World Almanac per 1,000 live births 1979 1983 1990 (*) Costa Rica 22 20 15.2 El Salvador 53 71 71 Guatemala 69 64 66 Honduras 103 81 73 Nicaragua 122 75 37 (*)Or most recent available data. [Cuba's infant mortality: 13.3 per 1,000 (1987) and 96% literacy, according to the Almanac] ================================================== ################################################################## "The Catholic Institute of International Relations in London ended its 1987 report on Nicaragua noting that "the positive achievements of the nicaraguan revolution... offer [the poor] an alternative model and make Nicaragua a symbol fo the hope that, despite all the odds, a better life is possible." [From: _Nicaragua: The Threat Of A Good Example_, Edward S. Herman, Covert Action Information Bulltin, Winter 1987] ################################################################## "Nicaragua's extraordinary achievement during the first few years of revolution were summed up by Jaime Belcazar, a Bolivian who was director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) from 1979-1984. He said: "In all my 25 years with the UN, I have never worked in a country where the government was really doing something effective about poverty and development until now. The government officials are dedicated to eliminating inequalities. In the first several years of their administration, they have made extraordinary advances in health, education, and agriculture. "It's given me enormous satisfaction to serve in such a country where your efforts really benefit the needy. The tragedy of course is the U.S. was against Nicaragua. Much of the excellent groundwork in social and economic programs is now suffering. Nicaragua was providing an alternative development model for the third world, a pluralistic model that offered concrete lessons to others -- invaluable lessons -- with its mistakes, successes, failures, and hopes. Now that experiment is being undermined by the United States. Innocent people are being killed development projects destroyed, and we are all the losers because of it. Why do the American people stand for such a desecration of their principles?" [57] Statement of Jaime Belcazar of UNDP, April 12, 1985. [From: The Central America Fact Book. By Tom Barry and Deb Preusch. Published by Grove Press, Inc., 196 West Houston Street, New York, NY 10014, published 1986 in New York.] ################################################################## ============================================= T h e " N i c a r a g u a L i b r a r y " ============================================= * * ========= * Nicaragua * ========= * CONTRA TERROR Contras' origins; make-up; practices - documented FSLN H-RIGHTS Documented HRs comparison w/Somoza,Guat,ES,others FSLN MISKITOS Sandinista treatment of Miskitos;Charges & Realit FSLN NICAJEWS Debunks charges of Sandinista 'Anti-Semitism' * OXFAM84 NICARAG Oxfam America's 1984 report on Nicaragua, in full FSLN ACHIEVE Documented: achievements of the Nica. revolution * NICA-84 ELECTION Documented: Fair under Sandinistas; US subversion FAIRNESS NICA-USA Flwup:`Is Nicaragua More Democratic than the US?' 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