With USAID assistance, the family-run Oscaritos clothing factory developed a business plan and expanded pro-duction. Oscaritos was the first small textile plant to export under the Pref-erential Tariff Levels that Nicaragua enjoys under the CAFTA-DR Free Trade Agreement.
Nicaragua Snapshot
Date of independence: 1821
Population: 6 million (2010)
GDP: $6.1 billion (2008)
GDP Per Capita: $1,080 (2008)
Source: CIA, The World Factbook
http://nicaragua.usaid.gov/
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USAID Assistance to the Nicaragua
(Dollars in Millions)
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Overview
Since 1990, Nicaragua has made progress in improving education and health services, establishing a free market economy, and laying the basis for democratic processes.
Nevertheless, Nicaragua remains one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with significant social inequities, particularly for rural areas. One out of every six children in Nicaragua is malnourished. On the average, Nicaraguans complete fewer than five years of schooling. The 2009 unemployment rate in Nicaragua is estimated to be 5.9%, but this figure does not include an estimated 65% of workers employed in the informal sector.
USAID’s development program promotes responsible, transparent governance, provides assistance to expand economic growth and trade opportunities, and promotes better health and education services for the Nicaraguan people.
Programs
Governing Justly & Democratically
USAID provides training and technical assistance to civil society organizations and government officials on international standards and best practices that encourage broad citizen participation.
A municipal development program works with local governments and community organizations to deliver public services more efficiently and effectively; improve the transparent management of public resources; and stimulate the local economy through infrastructure improvements.
Another program provides training to emerging young leaders in necessary skills and knowledge for fostering successful democratic political leadership, including democratic values, strategic planning, effective communication and political negotiations.
Economic Growth
USAID’s “Enterprise and Employment” program provides assistance to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and promotes policy reforms to improve competitiveness and to increase investment, trade opportunities and to generate employment.
Agricultural activities promote market-led production to help Nicaraguan farmers take advantage of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). From 2003 to 2009, USAID has provided agriculture assistance to nearly 30,000 small and medium scale farmers. Producers assisted by USAID’s Alliance to Create Opportunities for Rural Development through Agro-Enterprise Relationships (ACORDAR) have had $48.5 million in sales (29% from exports) of agricultural commodities and an estimated 11,240 new jobs have been generated since the program began in 2007.
Environment
USAID is working with small and medium-sized producers and local communities to link natural resource management to economic growth. Activities promote sustainable tourism, biodiversity conservation, and agriculture and economic development as a platform to strengthen micro, small, and medium enterprises and community-based organization competitiveness in a variety of sectors.
Investing In People
Health
USAID’s efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua include behavioral change communications (BCC) campaigns targeting high-risk groups and providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to improve the quality of and access to health services.
Since 1991, USAID has been a leading donor in family planning assistance to Nicaragua, working closely with the government of Nicaragua, the private sector and multiple local non-governmental organizations. Because of its strong family planning services, Nicaragua will graduate from direct USAID family planning assistance in 2011.
USAID Maternal and Child Health (MCH) programs provide training and technical assistance to the Ministry of Health in obstetric and pediatric care. USAID’s FamiSalud community health project benefits approximately 410,000 people in communities where health care is limited. Activities include vaccination campaigns, child growth monitoring, hygiene programs, family planning, HIV/AIDS testing, and maternity care and deliveries by trained medical personnel.
Education
The core of USAID’s basic education program in Nicaragua for the last ten years has been the model school program, characterized by its child-centered approach, parent and community involvement and student government activities. There are now 3,000 model schools nationwide, benefitting 454,511 students.
Under the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), USAID provides educational opportunities for at-risk youth through scholarships for children in grades 4-6 and for high school students in three municipalities in Nicaragua’s South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) that are highly vulnerable to drug trafficking.
USAID’s Scholarships for Education and Economic Development (SEED) program provided 21 scholarships to young Nicaraguans to study in U.S. universities and community colleges in 2009. From 1991-2008, under the previous CASS Scholarship program, 927 Nicaraguans had the opportunity to study in the U.S.
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