The Institute of John XXIII was begun in 1971 to provide the predominantly upper middle class students at the Jesuit University of Central America with experience of the poor and homeless in their capital city, Managua.

That experience came swiftly when the great earthquake of 1972 struck Managua, killing 20,000 and devastating the city. The Institute expanded again in 1979 when the Sandinista-led insurrection ousted the U.S. backed Dictator Somoza.

For a couple of years funding for social welfare projects in Managua flowed to the Institute before ebbing in 1981-82.

In 1986 as the contra war expanded, the Institute agreed to take on a major role in distributing the supplies from the Quest for Peace’s campaign to challenge the Reagan Administration’s policy. The Quest had pledged to match the funds appropriated by Congress to kill the Nicaraguan people with an equivalent value in humanitarian aid to keep the people alive while we worked in Congress to cut the policy.

We would carry out a $27 million and two $100 million campaigns over the following four years. Under the leadership of Nidia Martinez who was joined by Ketxu Amezua and two Jesuit priests, the Institute spread the donated supplies to the people of the rural areas who suffered contra attacks. Its mission became identified as a preferential option for the rural poor of Nicaragua whom they accompanied on their journey.

Soon the Institute began to use the supplies and funding to foster rural cooperative development, with special attention laid to the progress of rural women. When Hurricane Joan struck Nicaragua in October 1988, the Institute of John XXIII was a major relief organization handling 2000 tons of relief supplies and more than a million dollars.

As always, its approach was characterized by transparency and accountability. Although Roman Catholic in origin the Institute has never sought to proselytize or restrict its aid in sectarian ways. The needs of the rural poor has been the measure along with focused work on communities that are willing to cooperate on community development.

The patient rhythm of rural development over the last 15 years has been punctuated with emergencies for Nicaragua to which the Institute of John XXIII has responded such as seaquake tidal wave in 1992 and Cerro Negro’s volcanic eruption in 1995. But Hurricane Mitch in late 1998 and the Networks of Hope 4-year program of aid and reconstruction shows the scale of the Institute’s work and capabilities.

In November 1998 Hurricane Mitch pummeled Honduras and northern Nicaragua with torrential, earth-sliding rains, 72 inches in 3 days. Ketxu Amezua, Program Coordinator of our partners at the Institute of John XXIII, cut short her sabbatical and raced back to Nicaragua.

The Institute of John XXIII launched "Networks of Hope" to heal the ruined northern communities. Networks of Hope, Pt 1 (1999) - focused on emergency home building, erecting 1,700 "Homes of Hope" to re-anchor the devastated communities and foster a cooperative spirit between the people of the communities, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and the local political leaders.

Networks of Hope, Pt 2 (2000-2002) - continued building and repairing homes, but reached out to heal the social fabric of the municipalities. A shortage of skilled home builders was countered with apprentice training programs. Food production was restored, patio animals and gardens, road construction, reforestation, adult education, medical services, programs to empower women, land titling, educational supplies, micro enterprise loan funds, cultural events and celebrations – all were fostered in an effort to heal and strengthen the ravaged communities.

Networks of Hope, Pt 2, Countdown to Independence (2002) - Finally, the Institute of John XXIII incorporated as NGOs, 22 of its local municipal networks in these northern communities. These independent community associations formed a federation in 2004 - FEDICAMP.

In 2003 the Institute launched the Program of Human Development, a program of integral development in 15 new communities.

The Institute does more than build houses. Thirty thousand dollars a year purchases Nicaraguan beans and rice and other commodities, including production of fortified cereal to support 52 children’s feeding centers and homes for the elderly.

A Quest ambulance carries a traveling doctor who is bringing women’s health care to remote communities. A network of 29 rural clinics serving 200,000 people a year enjoy bulk purchases of basic medicine thanks to a German-financed program of the Institute of John XXIII. The Institute receives the cargo containers of aid that carry supplies for Mother’s Day (last Sunday in May) and provision rural piñatas at the Christmas holidays. They carry thousands of boxes of school supplies to straightened rural schools from the Clean Your Desk Campaign and vegetable seeds for kitchen gardens.