Nicaragua

During the conflict between the Sandinistas and US-backed Contras during the 1980’s, landmines were used heavily along the Nicaraguan-Honduran border. By 1990, an estimated 135,000 landmines had been laid throughout Nicaragua and UXOs (unexploded ordnance) were prevalent. Between 1980 and 2004 there were a reported 724 landmine and UXO casualties, including 68 deaths. It is believed that rates are much higher given the majority of landmines are in rural, northern regions where there are few government offices and health care facilities where information would be recorded. In regards to demining, Nicaragua is a success story: in 1990 it was considered one of the most mine-affected nations in Central America—further complicated by 1998’s Hurricane Mitch which moved landmines around and rolled back much of the progress made—but, today is largely mine-free. Landmine Victims’ assistance, however, remains a major challenge.

The Polus Center for Social & Economic Development, Inc., which has planned and implemented locally-based prosthetic outreach centers and social and economic integration project in Nicaragua and Honduras and Dean’s Beans Fair-Trade Coffee first piloted the idea of connecting the coffee industry and landmine survivors and are current partners of the Coffeelands Landmine Victims’ Trust.

The Polus Center, already active in landmine survivors assistance in Nicaragua, was approached by Dean’s Beans, who was already buying coffee in Nicaragua, when it was learned that much of the coffee produced was in areas affected by landmines. Rather than simply ask for a donation, the Polus Center and Dean’s Beans decided to do something both creative and truly needed: create a business that provided employment to people who had lost limbs and would pay for artificial limbs for landmine survivors and others in need. The result was the Ben Linder Cafe.

The Ben Linder Cafe, established in 2000, in downtown Leon, Nicaragua is not only a major meeting place and music venue for local residents, but is also now the only fully handicap accessible restaurant in Nicaragua. The Ben Linder Cafe includes a restaurant, internet cafe, coffee roasting cooperative, and art gallery, all locally managed and employing a staff integrated with persons with disabilities.

The profits from the cafe support Walking Unidos, a prosthetic center providing artificial limbs and orthotic braces to the poorest of the poor. Dean’s Beans donated a coffee roasting machine and provided on-site training to create the first local, fair-trade, organic coffee roasting cooperative.