SAIH works with local partners on the Caribbean coast to enhance indigenous people’s and afro-descendant’s rights. Providing formal and informal education and research that supports the ongoing autonomy process in the region, is an important part of this work. SAIH supports local partner’s contributions to develop a relevant, intercultural and bilingual educational program in the region. For example by offering schooling for untrained teachers, intercultural environmental school, leadership training for youth and support for research and development of new education programmes at the intercultural university URACCAN –The program, which covers both rural and urban areas, encourages respect for cultural identities, diversity, women’s rights and gender equity.

SAIH has much experience as a contributor and facilitator for cooperation and contact between our partners in Nicaragua and norwegian representatives, such as the University of Tromsø, Akershus University College and the department of journalist studies at Oslo University College (both are now a part of Oslo and Akershus University College -HiOA), Sámi University College, and Sortland upper secondary school. HiOA is currently developing a masters degree in inter cultural communication together with URACCAN. SAIH has also facilitated the ongoing cooperation between the University College of South-Trøndelag and URACCAN on Nicaragua’s first cand.mag.grad (licenciatura) in mental health, which was completed in 2008.

 

SAIH’s contribution at the Caribbean coast has lasted through more than 20 years. During the civil war in the 1980s, SAIH was sending medical personnel to assist the population that was suffering greatly from the war. During the same period, SAIH was strengthening the local capacity in higher education by working with the school for nurses in the northern autonomous region, RAAN. Operation Day’s work, or OD, is a Norwegian campaign where school students work for one day a year instead of attending school, and their earnings are given to OD and the particular cause that is being supported that year. In 2000 the OD campaign was the starting point for focusing on sexual and reproductive rights in the area. The contact with the Norwegian Teachers union (now the Educational Union, or Utdanningsforbundet), has also laid the foundation with much of SAIH’s work in Nicaragua today.