Quixote Center supports poverty relief through economic development in Nicaragua. In 2025 we partnered with Peaceworks to provide a small loan to the El Porvenir coffee cooperative to enable them to harvest and process their crop. 

The Quixote Center has worked in Nicaragua since 1984, when we launched a program for the delivery of humanitarian aid during the US- imposed Contra War. After the war we continued to work with the Institute of John XXIII/Association Roncalli on a variety of community development, education and health projects. Our work expanded following hurricane Mitch in 1998, involving the integration of housing construction, community organizing and leadership development. Our housing project, Homes of Hope, built 200 homes, in cooperation with housing cooperatives as well as some individual homeowners, between 2017 and 2022. The government of Nicaragua canceled the Institute’s legal incorporation in 2022.

Sanctions and Sanctimony: The RENACER Act and the futility of US policy in Nicaragua

Wed, 11/24/2021 - 1:31pm by Tom

Two weeks ago, the US House of Representatives the RENACER Act by a large margin with the hope, one assumes, of putting pressure on the people of Nicaragua to rethink voting for Daniel Ortega. That election took place on November 15, and Ortega won anyway - though, predictably, with opposition figures decrying the numbers. 

Nicaragua election explainer

Fri, 11/05/2021 - 4:53pm by Alexandra

On Sunday, November 7, Nicaraguans will vote for the president and vice-president of the country, as well as for the National Assembly and for Nicaragua’s representatives to the Central American Parliament. There has been a great deal of controversy about these elections circulating in the US and European media. One result is that the United States Congress just passed a new sanctions bill against Nicaragua (the RENACER Act) on Wednesday, November 3 in response to some of this controversy.

From the Archive: Bill and Maureen Testify before Congress (1987)

Thu, 03/11/2021 - 12:42pm by Tom

Over the weekend, I stumbled across a C-Span clip of Maureen Fiedler and Bill Callahan testifying before Congress about the U.S. embargo against Nicaragua and humanitarian aid shipments.

You can watch (or skim) the entire hearing on C-Span .  A clip of Bill and Maureen's testimony is can be viewed by clicking on the image below.

Pages