Reconstructing roles and relations: Women's participation in reconstruction in post-Mitch Nicaragua

Abstract

Hurricane Mitch, which took place in October 1998, affected millions of people in Central America, in Honduras and Nicaragua in particular. In Nicaragua, following the hurricane, many civil society organisations mobilised to participate in reconstruction, and to present alternatives to the government's reconstruction plans. The newly-formed Civil Co-ordinator for Emergency and Reconstruction (CCER), a coalition of NGOs, undertook a large-scale social audit of the reconstruction process. This article presents the results of the audit alongside more in-depth research to provide a gendered analysis of the reconstruction. It focuses on the roles of women in reconstruction, their participation and leadership in reconstruction projects and in individual household responses, and questions whether reconstruction projects have had any impact on transforming gender relations in post-hurricane communities.