Limi-Nawâh S.A. is the first indigenous corporation in Nicaragua and was was established under Nicaraguan mercantile law in  July 2003. Limi-Nawâh S.A. is the property of 16 indigenous communities situated on the Bambana and Prinzapolka Rivers and was modeled after 9 indigenous communities known as the Meadow Lake Tribal Council in Canada.  The hope was to deliver the experience and success of the Canadian indigenous communities to Nicaragua. MLTC established an non-government organization called Contigo International and received direct support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

 One of the first tasks for Limi-Nawah was to find additional support for the project.  To this end, Limi-Nawâh developed an economic development strategy that was presented to the International Community in Managua in November 2003. Two agencies, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Nicaraguan Institute of Rural Development (IDR) expressed an interest to participate in the project. This led to a formal proposal presented to IDR in December 2003. The Canadian International Development Agency  also agreed to provide special funding of up to $250,000 for the production of management plans and for the purchase of the first wood for the mill to operate.  Limi-Nawah was required to generate a large amount of documentation in a short period of time to satisfy the requirements of the government bureaucracies promising to support the project. By March of 2004, officials of CIDA and IDR exchanged letters of commitment and support to finance the project as presented by Limi-Nawâh.

Canada honoured its commitment by providing Contigo with immediate access to the $250,000 promised; IDR was committed to provide the necessary funding for the capital equipment to guarantee the project success.

Limi-Nawâh started the project by executing its management plan development, paying required taxes to the Government of Nicaragua, setting the contracts for harvest and delivery of roundwood to the sawmill site, the selection and training of personnel, and the preparation of the physical site for the sawmill that was to be financed by IDR.  HOWEVER IDR DID NOT COMPLY and Limi-Nawah began to sustain losses of its roundwood that had a value in the international market of more than US$400,000 based on a contract that had been negotiated with a US company (Robinson Lumber Company).  The consequences of the detrimental reliance on IDR have obviously been incredibly negative for Limi-Nawah and the indigenous community owners.

IDR must accept all of the responsibility for the failure of the project. They had an obligation to assist Limi-Nawah in the development of the documentation for submission to the IDB for project approvals; they failed miserably in this process. Limi-Nawâh proceeded with the implementation of the project based on a trust and confidence that instead dissolved into a dramatic financial failure.  IDR reneged on its commitment to both Canadá y Limi-Nawâh.

 The position taken by IDR has placed the project under serious risk and exposed the 16 communities to an unreasonable economic liability- this is totally unacceptable act of insensitivity to the deep poverty that exists in the zone. La posición tomada por IDR ha puesto al proyecto entero en serio riesgo y ha expuesto a Limi-Nawâh y a sus representantes, las 16 comunidades indígenas en un riesgo económico irrazonable y totalmente inaceptable.