typical ALTAGRACIA is fairly of the popular quarters of Managua. Singlehouses are squashed together on narrow streets.
The 50,000 people who live here are not well-off, but not as They want the same improvements for their as anyone else street lights, a postal service, public telephone and sanitatior in their homes.
And through their network Sandinista Defence Committees (CDS) base organisations of power' in every neighbourhood - they are mobilising to make it i talk to a groute s district Among them are Isidro Donaire, a worker IBM and secretary of his local branch; 17-year-old student Jose Cornavaca; Rina de doctor on the barrio's health sub-committee; Gabriel Celis, a broadcasting technician; and the minister of the local Baptist church, Noel Tunnels They tell me how 300 out of died in this part of during the insurrection. Isidro remembers:
Somoza period organised ourselves into a civil defence committee. During the war we made tunnels from house to house, working secretly to get food and medicines and to send weapons to the Sandinistas.
The women fought alongside the men from the beginning 'Once the National Guard took all our young men from one street, lined them up outside their houses and mowed them down with machine guns. build a very different kind society.
What the struggle has me for people's lives shows in multitude of ways, not least how they see themselves. 'Bef we couldn't express ourselves give an opinion. Now we integrated into society - we t important."
Health In Isidro's factory, wh trade unions used to be illegal per cent of the workers are n unionised. In Jose's college, students ask questions, critic give their own ideas. Rina, a doctor, nonces lal Dalcils more conscientious about ti children's health and keep their houses clean.
Noel sees the biggest cha in everyone's efforts to responsibility for community. "The lesson we to learn', he says, 'was that can only achieve something organising ourselves.' Regular after-work rettire of eife in Altagra feature hie in Altagra Here, as in many towns villages throughout Nicara the CDSs have become Sandinistas' power base, put government policies into prac locally and relaying the need the people back to the diffe ministries Each block elects its five-person CDS, which in chooses someone to represer at district level. Then the se Altagracia districts representatives for the wl barrio who liaise directly government officials.
regala and nati structure of CDSs has yet tr fully worked out. • W developing go alo Isidro explains. •We want to l our government so they will t uis and our hope is to have ( representatives on any fu Council of State.?
Polio In the space of just months since the insurrect the people of Altagracia hav in motion an impressive nun