According to the most recent Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) Report by UNICEF and WHO, 79% of people in Nicaragua have access to improved water sources and 48% have improved sanitation facilities. However, there is a large disparity between rural and urban areas, and in rural areas only 63% of people have access to safe drinking water and 34% have improved sanitation. Based on this need, Water For People–Nicaragua is focusing its efforts on rural and remote communities and schools.
Water For People in Nicaragua
In 2008, Water For People’s Board of Directors voted to expand programming into Nicaragua. Building on successful programs in neighboring Honduras, Water For People is working in alliance with the nongovernmental organization (NGO) El Porvenir in the municipality of Wiwilí. In 2010, Water For People received legal status as an NGO in Nicaragua and in 2011 hired a country director to lead the program, identify geographical regions for expansion, and develop local partnerships that will define programming in the coming years.
Regions
Water For People–Nicaragua has established programming in the region of Wiwilí and is planning to expand into two additional municipalities in the department of Jinotega: San Rafael del Norte and La Concordia. Staff, together with local partners and World Water Corps® will complete a FLOW baseline assessment of both regions, which will provide accurate water and sanitation coverage data for future programming.
Wiwilí is one of the largest municipalities in Nicaragua, covering approximately 2,444 square kilometers. Located in the department of Jinotega, it has approximately 75,000 residents, making a living through subsistence agriculture, the sale of cash crops such as coffee, and raising livestock. The Coco River flows through much of the municipality and water coverage is estimated at approximately 30%.
However, many of the communities with access to water have water quality problems. The Ministry of Health recently reported that at least 107 communities use water from streams, rivers, springs, and water holes. The consumption of contaminated water from such unprotected water sources can lead to health issues, including parasites, diarrhea, and skin diseases. Water For People–Nicaragua is working in communities and schools in Wiwilí to address these issues.
Partners
Water For People believes long-lasting water and sanitation solutions can be achieved when key local role-players—the private sector, civil society, and local government—are supported in a way that enables them to understand and act upon their areas of responsibility and to support community water supply and sanitation development. Water For People convenes, partners, and builds the skills of the following key stakeholders:
Local Government
Municipality of Wiwilí
Ministry of Education
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)
Association for the Development
of the Municipality (ADEM)
Agua para la Vida (APLV)
Water For People Initiatives
Work in 2011
In 2011, Water For People–Nicaragua, together with El Porvenir, is undertaking the construction of a Gravity-fed Mini Aqueduct (MAG) system that will supply drinking water to six communities in Wiwilí. These communities have been waiting almost eight years for this project, as no other NGO or the local municipality has been able to effectively implement a project of this scale. The households in these communities will also receive access to sanitation facilities and hygiene education. This project will take two years and will be completed in December 2012. In addition, five communities where work began in 2010 will receive access to safe drinking water by the end of July through the installation of wells with rope pumps. As with all Water For People programs, the construction of infrastructure is only one component, and significant time will be devoted to establishing a community-level water committee that will be trained to operate, maintain, finance and repair the new systems.
In the new municipalities of San Rafael del Norte and La Concordia, a FLOW baseline assessment will be completed to help Water For People–Nicaragua and partners prioritize programming and develop future plans.
