Updated: March 2009
Nicaragua
Overview | World Vision's history in Nicaragua | World Vision in Nicaragua today
OverviewThe Republic of Nicaragua is bordered by Costa Rica to the south and Honduras to the north, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The largest country in area in Central America, it was named in the 1520s after Nicarao, chief of the tribe that inhabited the area. The Pacific lowlands in the west feature a fertile plain as well as Lake Nicaragua, home to the only freshwater sharks in the world. The center of the country has a rugged terrain, while the eastern region includes a large tropical rainforest. Rio Coco runs along the border with Honduras and is the largest river in Central America. Nicaragua’s natural resources include gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, and fish.The majority of Nicaraguans live in the western Pacific region of the country, and 25 percent live in the capital city, Managua. Nearly three-quarters of the country’s inhabitants are Mestizo, a mix of European and Amerindian ancestry. Caucasians make up 17 percent of the population, while Amerindians constitute five percent. Nearly all of the Afro- Nicaraguans, who are of West Indian descent, live along the Caribbean coast. Spanish is the country’s official language and is spoken by 98 percent of the people. English, Creole, and indigenous languages are also spoken, primarily in the east. Nicaragua gained independence in 1821 after nearly 300 years of Spanish rule. Following decades of military regimes, General Anastasio Somoza Garciá and his family ruled as dictators for 44 years, beginning in 1937. Daniel Ortega, backed by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, ousted the Somoza family in 1981 and was elected president three years later. U.S.-sponsored attacks by Contra rebels began in 1982 and lasted until a peace agreement was signed six years later. Hurricane Mitch devastated the country in 1998, killing some 3,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands more homeless. In response to an increasing demand for U.S. products, Nicaragua approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement in April 2006. Former President Daniel Ortega returned to power in early 2007, winning the presidential election over a divided opposition. |  |
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| For the time between Ortega administrations (1991-2007), Nicaragua’s economy was characterized by steady growth. The inflation rate decreased from more than 33,000 percent in 1988 to just below 10 percent in 2006, and several hundred state-funded ventures were privatized. Nevertheless, 48 percent of Nicaraguans live below the poverty line, and 80 percent live on less than $2 a day. The incidence of poverty is 20 percent higher in rural populations in the central and Caribbean regions. Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, the third lowest level of average annual earnings in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world. The government’s annual budget for education has remained at three percent for the past eight years. In order to meet the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, experts state the budget allowance should be 4.7 percent. The government pays for teachers’ salaries and some school repairs. Parents are expected to pay for desks, books, electric bills, and cleaning materials—often children clean the schools. As a result, more than 167,000 Nicaraguan children work to help support their families instead of attending classes. Only 35 percent of males and 47 percent of females attend secondary school, with a completion rate around 20 percent. Parents and teachers are pushing for change at the grassroots level by helping to improve the school curriculum and providing opportunities for children to re-enter the school system. Back to top World Vision's history in NicaraugaIn 1972, World Vision began serving the people of Nicaragua following a massive earthquake that nearly destroyed the city of Managua. Through CEPAD (Evangelical Committee for Development Aid), World Vision provided immediate emergency funding to assist the affected families.By 1979, more than 1.4 million people were displaced or had fled the country as a result of civil conflict. World Vision assisted thousands of victims through the provision of relief supplies. A rehabilitation project, also in conjunction with CEPAD, offered small loans to individuals to increase food production and revitalize small businesses. The early 1980s saw development projects that supplied emergency relief and evangelism outreach. The Farming Rehabilitation Project offered food and seeds to 1,000 displaced Miskito Amerindian families. The Prison Help Project provided political prisoners with clothing and personal care items, and another prison ministry trained inmates in literacy, carpentry, mechanics, printing, and gardening. An evangelistic project promoted theological education, scholarships, unity, and social action for prisoners on a voluntary participation basis. From 1986 to 1990, World Vision conducted 28 projects, including 22 sponsorship programs benefiting 3,510 children. Two development ventures during that period created potable water systems for 8,000 people in nine rural communities. Another project provided extensive agricultural development in San Jorge-Rivas through the construction of an artesian well and cultivation of 21 acres for fruit and vegetable production. To counteract the exodus of health professionals from the country that began in 1989, World Vision supplied some 30 medical and agronomy students with tuition, books, and other educational supplies, as well as meals and travel expenses. By the end of 1991, World Vision conducted operations in 39 projects, and the number of sponsored children had grown to more than 6,000. Development work assisted farmers in agricultural production, animal husbandry, and construction of irrigation systems and reservoirs. Efforts also included vaccinations for children, health training, community organization, and family workshops. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Project Gloria helped transform the lives of Nicaraguan children who were born with deformities, such as cleft palates, or who had suffered severe burns. They received reconstructive surgery, necessary medicine and supplies, transportation, and housing. Children and their families also were given physical and psychological therapy. Back to top World Vision in Nicarauga todayWorld Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Nicaragua to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Currently, 55,894 children are registered in the World Vision sponsorship program. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. Of these registered children, many have World Vision sponsors in other countries. U.S. donors sponsor more than 17,300 girls and boys. In addition, World Vision operates 22 development programs, seven of which are supported by U.S. donors. Highlights of these efforts include the following:
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