Nicaragua

Past program

In 1998, a small group of friends from Northampton, Massachusetts volunteered to visit Nicaragua in the aftermath of the civil war and Hurricane Mitch. The purpose of their visit was to help landmine victims who had suffered limb loss to receive artificial limbs so that they could regain their mobility, return to work, and once again live active and meaningful lives within their communities. This visit would mark the beginning of Polus Center International, which continues to help people with disabilities in post-conflict regions to this day.

The Polus Center opened Walking Unidos in 1999, the first prosthetic clinic in Leon, Nicaragua. Walking Unidos continued to produce artificial limbs for people in need for over 20 years. Because of the success of Walking Unidos, the Polus Center helped develop additional prosthetic and orthotic service programs in Vida Nueva in Choluteca, Honduras and in Managua, Nicaragua with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Polus developed several other disability-related programs, including the Disability Leadership Center, an access project entitled "A City for Everyone" and the Ben Linder Café, an economic development project in León.