Resume
Thousands of Nicaraguan artisanal small-scale gold miners use mercury to extract gold. The miners as well as local authorities are strongly motivated for change. Diálogos has competence in implementing mercury-free mining in small-scale gold mining communities worldwide. We believe this is an optimal time for an intervention to create a change away from the toxic mercury for relatively few funds. We aim to introduce a mercury-free gold mining method, disseminate it locally and nationally, increase knowledge of mercury pollution and its prevention and thus phase out mercury use in the mining community La Libertad in Nicaragua. In turn, a reduction in mercury pollution will prevent diseases among the miners and non-miners in the community and contribute to bringing down the global mercury emissions to the environment. The intervention takes the first steps towards improving local community organisation by locally dissemination.