Friends of Morazán (FoM) is a registered charity (no.1111253) based in Bristol with a small, committed team of voluntary trustees.  It builds on the solidarity work of Bristol Link with Nicaragua which started in 1985 and Bristol’s twin city relationship with the municipality of Puerto Morazán in north west Nicaragua which was signed in January 1989. Puerto Morazan has 24 communities and a population of 16,000.  It is situated in one of the poorest regions of Nicaragua, which is itself the third poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Education in Nicaragua is free right through from preschool to university with the current Sandinista government spending around 60% of the national budget on education and health. Current government priorities are about getting all Nicaraguan children through primary school with less resources available for preschools. Community preschool salaries are low and facilities are basic. Parents take on the responsibility of cooking the donated UN World Food Programme beans, rice and maize each day for the school dinners.  Many preschools do not have access to clean drinking water or toilets and some meet under a tree or in a shack. In a country where the climate produces torrential rainfall and temperatures that regularly reach 30°, there is a strong need for purpose built classrooms that can withstand the regular earth tremors.

The local education authorities, families and communities in Puerto Morazán have a strong commitment to secure the wellbeing and future educational prospects of their young children.  In support of and in partnership with Puerto Morazán’s education officers, teachers, families and communities, Friends of Morazán aims to:

• Relieve the effects of poverty in Puerto Morazán by providing financial aid and other humanitarian assistance to support educational and health initiatives.
• Offer Nicaraguans solidarity in their struggle to provide a higher standard of education and living conditions for all, and a better future for the children.
• Advance the education of, and raise awareness amongst the public in Britain, in particular Bristol, of cultural and social issues related to Nicaragua.