Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition 3.18.2025: Womens Day Speeches by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo; Nicaragua #6 in World Gender Equality; Role of UN Human Rights Council; Sarah Woodard webinar video

Webinar video: Sarah Woodard: Nicaragua and Grassroots Organization Here is a webinar video of Sarah’s presentations on her tour. She explains Jubilee House Community/Center for Development in Central America’s internationalist work in support of Nicaraguan working people, and how it fits together with the overall work of the Sandinista Revolution. 

Nicaragua Co-President Daniel Ortega: The Revolution in China continues, and now offers itself to the World as a Revolution bringing Peace and Well-being to the Peoples (March 8) Clara Zetkin, in 1910 at a Conference of Socialist Women, in Copenhagen, proposed and approved the Celebration of Working Women’s Day, because it was mainly Working Women who were marginalized and exploited. And the following year the First Commemoration took place, on March 19th 1911…A struggle that we have been waging here in Nicaragua as well, to defeat and eliminate, to extirpate, from our Nation, the manifestations of machismo, which in some cases result in causing pain, even tragedy in some Families…Youth is the determining force! We have a Youth that has been forged in the heat of the battles that we have fought over these years, defending the Rights of Women, defending the Rights of the People…. the Revolution in China has not stopped, the Revolution in China continues, and now offers itself to the World as a Revolution bringing Peace, bringing Well-being, bringing Solidarity to the Peoples, it does not carry Sanctions, nor does it carry threats, nor does it carry wars. It is a Revolution of Peace, the Revolution led by the Chinese Communist Party. We very much appreciate the Cooperation they are offering us in all fields….Co-President Rosario Murillo: the plague of machismo, which is still something in our culture that we have to combat and overcome…we always thought and said that without Revolution it is difficult to achieve women’s rights…machismo is a form of hatred, it is a culture of hatred that must be abandoned, and a lack of culture which injures us all, and destroys us.

Nicaragua Ranks Highest in Gender Equity in the Americas and #6 Globally In March 2025, during International Women’s Day, a delegation of solidarity activists traveled to Nicaragua  as the Power & Protagonism Brigade: Women in Nicaragua, to witness the progress made by women since the revolution. The delegation met with a wide range of individuals and institutions driving these advancements, including mayors, deputy mayors, hospital and clinic directors, governmental ministers, police captains, patients, health promoters, preschoolers, mothers, women members in the National Assembly, technical school trainees, social workers, nurses, and more. Key achievements in Gender Equity: 1. Nicaragua has implemented a 50/50 gender policy, ensuring equal gender representation in all levels of decision-making, from local councils to national government. Women now hold 60% of the seats in the National Assembly and 75% of ministerial and vice-ministerial positions. 2. Ministries, mayoral offices, the National Assembly, and nonprofits work to prioritize prevention, education, and community well-being. 3. Women’s Police Departments: Specialized units have been established to address gender-based violence, child abuse, and support women and children’s safety. 4.Free universal access to education and healthcare has been a cornerstone of Nicaragua’s efforts to empower women and reduce poverty. 5. Self-determination: Indigenous and Afro-descendants have communal title to lands making up nearly one-third of Nicaragua's national territory. Nicaragua’s achievements are a testament to its commitment to building a socialist society centered on equity, justice, and the vibrant culture of community empowerment. The country’s progress stands in stark contrast to the negative narratives often propagated by Western media.

John Perry: UN Human Rights Council biased report on Nicaragua ignores victims of US-backed opposition violence The authors of a new UN report heard evidence from a US government-funded operative, Felix Maradiaga, who helped instigate the violent 2018 coup against the revolution.  Yet UN “experts” have refused to interview the many Nicaraguans kidnapped and tortured by the opposition. The UN’s 40-page report devotes just five paragraphs to violence by anti-government factions; the rest blames the government and its supporters for practically every other violent incident. Felix Maradiaga, a key witness, received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the National Endowment for Democracy. In June 2018, the Nicaraguan police charged Maradiaga with overseeing an organized criminal network that murdered several people. In 2023, he was awarded a prize the UN Human Rights Council as a “human rights defender.” The most egregious bias in the report is its treatment of opposition figures like Maradiaga as victims, not perpetrators. The UNHRC’s so-called “Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaraguan” are fully aware of the real story, but they simply choose to ignore it. They quite deliberately feed Washington’s narrative, repeated by its allies and by the corporate media, that what happened in 2018 was a series of peaceful protests, not a violent coup attempt.

Events

February 28- May 13: Sarah Woodward national speaking tour: Building Sustainable Communities, Insights from Nicaragua  Sarah Junkin Woodard represents the Jubilee House Community, which responds to local needs, to help the poor accomplish what they see as their priorities, particularly in the areas of sustainable economic development, organic agriculture, health care, and education. Sarah’s tour will both update supporters on the JHC-CDCA’s work in Nicaragua and educate those in the global north on the amazing realities developing within Sandinista Nicaragua where both the social and political will are focused on helping the majority of the population, the poorest of the poor.

March 20: Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela Women Speak Discussing women’s empowerment in revolutionary change, while confronting US sanctions and war.

March 22, 1pm ET, first meeting of the U.S./NATO Out of Our Americas Network, which will serve as an orientation to the Zone of Peace campaign and the Network so organizations and individuals can plug into the work based on their interests and/or existing work. Register here . Also complete this form , to assist with event planning.

March 31: A better world is possible: Nicaragua achieves poverty reduction despite threats from the US  with John Perry; Becca Renk, Director of the JHC-CDCA’s health clinic, Coordinator of the Casa Benjamin Linder; Nick Hoskyns, Managing Director of ETICO and Executive Committee of NSCAG; Julie Lamin, Co-Chair, NSCAG Executive Committee

April 13, 3 pm ET Nicaragua webinar with Sarah Woodard: Building Sustainable Communities: Insights from Nicaragua  

May 18 webinar: Nicaraguan programs of maternal and child health, and a cross-national comparison, with Becca Renk, Magda Lanuza, and Jameela Alexander. Registration link coming soon.

Casa Ben Linder Tours to Nicaragua:

Email casabenjaminlinder@jhc-cdca.org to apply

June 2025: Global Health: Family and Community Health in Nicaragua

July 2025: Solidarity in Action: Nicaragua’s Popular Revolution

November 2025: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua

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