COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Central America, along with its neighbor Honduras, and is located in a region that is at high risk for natural disasters. Political turmoil, beginning with armed guerilla resistance to Somoza’s regime in the 1960s and eventually becoming known as the Sandinista movement in the 1970s, severely limited any opportunity for economic development. The 1980s were marked by declining output and rampant inflation as the Sandinista government fought the Contras and military spending increased, leading to subsequent decades of uncertainty and instability.
The Pan American Health Organization has named Nicaragua a priority country for assistance. Forty-five percent of Nicaraguans live on less than $1 a day, with impoverished populations concentrated in rural and peri-urban areas. These disadvantaged groups are at a much higher risk for maternal and perinatal mortality due to deaths associated with respiratory diseases, neonatal sepsis, diarrhea and malnutrition. Communicable diseases continue to rise, displaying a high incidence of malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. International cooperation plays a critical role in the development of the health center.
AmeriCares has provided humanitarian assistance to Nicaragua since 1986, delivering medicines and supplies valued at more than $337 million.
GLOBAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Through Broad Beneficiary Network, AmeriCares Helps 11 National Hospitals
In collaboration with our local partner, the Order of Malta, AmeriCares donations reach an extensive network of more than 100 health care institutions across the country. Within this network, 11 national hospitals receive ongoing assistance, including the Hospital Masaya, located in the town and department of Masaya. The 177-bed hospital sees nearly 500 patients per day, half of which are emergency cases. The hospital’s HIV/AIDS program treats patients needing continuous care and enrolls mothers who are living with the illness in a vertical transmission prevention program (WHAT IS THAT?). Another hospital, Antonio Lenin Fonseca, is a national general hospital with 248 beds and 11 specialties in the capital city of Managua. The facility sees more than 400 patients and performs up to 30 operations daily. Nearly all head trauma cases are sent to the neurosurgery specialists at this hospital. Other types of facilities receiving AmeriCares assistance in Nicaragua are children’s homes and clinics.
Bringing Care to Rural Nicaragua
To address the needs of hard-to-reach rural areas, the Order of Malta contributes AmeriCares-donated medicines to doctors and dentists participating in medical outreach brigades. Given the poor road infrastructure and difficult travel conditions, many of these individuals receive treatment that would otherwise be inaccessible, financially and logistically. For example, the average Nicaraguan woman is mother to three children, although that number is generally higher in rural areas. She is not likely to travel for half a day with multiple children knowing that she may not receive care that same day at a crowded clinic, or that the clinic might be out of medicine to treat the condition. Equipped with donated medicine and supplies from AmeriCares, these outreach brigades bring free care to people who could not access it otherwise.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM
Emergency Response: Hurricane Felix
Over the past 20 years AmeriCares has responded to numerous disasters in Nicaragua, the most recent of which was the 2007 hurricane season that severely impacted Nicaraguans with flooding and compromised sanitation. Hurricane Felix, a category 5 storm, made landfall on Sept. 4, 2007, leaving in its wake extreme flooding and contaminated water supplies that affected more than 50,000 people and killed more than 100. Providing Nicaraguans in the affected area with clean drinking water was a top priority. An AmeriCares team met Order of Malta representatives in Managua, accompanying an emergency airlift carrying nearly 5,000 liters of water, along with vital medicines and disaster relief supplies.
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