Nicaragua: programs & priorities

Working with eight local organisations in 20 communities throughout Nicaragua, ChildFund Australia's affiliate organisation in Nicaragua is making a difference in the lives of some 40,000 people by providing access to education, health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, skills training and improving people's capacities to generate income.

Due to the poor nutrition levels among children in the country, ChildFund in Nicaragua now provides a daily snack to children in its program areas, while anti-parasitic medication and vitamins distributed to 30,000 children and their families twice a year.

To prevent the spread of water-borne disease, community clean up campaigns have been started to help with sanitation issues, and ChildFund in Nicaragua has also helped to construct new latrines where there were no existing sewage systems, soakways to treat domestic grey water, and giving communities access to potable water.

Development in focus

Few children in Nicaragua complete their primary schooling, so ChildFund's program work is focused on education. This year, over 10,000 children received school packages at the start of the school year, containing notebooks, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, color pencils, and in special cases, backpacks.

ChildFund in Nicaragua also assisted some regions in creating a community fund to help finance school fees for children who need help. In addition, more mothers are now becoming directly involved in school committees, so that their voice can be heard by school authorities, and communities could effectively participate in their children's education process.