New York Times article from September 28, 2001 describing the struggle for survival of many indigenous communities along the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, one of the poorest regions in Latin America. It details the plight of the region, which was granted limited self-rule and subsequently neglected by the Nicaraguan government. Extensive flooding this year has destroyed crops and left the inhabitants dependent on donated food. Health care is virtually non-existent. The economic future of the area has become complicated by recent logging concessions granted by the government in violation of the indigenous peoples’ rights.