This project will enhance awareness of gender issues in the multicultural context of the Atlantic coast. Strengthening the position of women is one of main objectives of URACCAN. The CEIMM was created to safeguard women's perspectives as an integral part of all of URACCAN’s education and among all URACCANs employees. CEIMM integrates active research with political and local mobilization efforts.
CEIMM educates scholars who can help with research from a gender perspective and ensures that gender perspectives are included in the planning and implementation of future local, regional and national projects. CEIMM, for example, played an active role in a strategy to combat gender-based violence in the south Atlantic coast, and is regarded as an important partner of governments and other human rights organizations.
The Atlantic coast consists of two autonomous regions, and represents about half of Nicaragua's total territory. This area is the poorest part of Nicaragua, and poverty has increased in recent years. The area has traditionally been given low priority by the Nicaraguan government and by foreign aid actors. The situation here is very different from the rest of Nicaragua, due to the different ethnic composition of the population. As a result, CEIMM actively works to include marginalized women of African-American descent who have a sense of belonging in their work and to use creative ways to reach out broadly. African-American women are given a platform where they can talk about their problems and help devise political solutions against discrimination toward women and gender-based violence.
The project has been supported by FOKUS since 2003 with funding from NORAD.