Table 2.
Prioritised activities, rationale, problems encountered, and achievements in the Cuatro Santos area, Nicaragua.
| Activities | Year of start | Rationale | Problems encountered | Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microcredits | 1997 | Development of local economy | History of no payback behaviour | Development of a local microcredits scheme via a professional NGO bank. Payback > 95% |
| Home gardening | 1997 | Increase local food production | Lack of water | 800 families with diversified home gardens, drip irrigation |
| Environmental protection | 1997 | Stop deforestation and protect soil and basins | Resistance to change practices such as forest fires | No more massive forest fires in the area. More than 200,000 trees planted. 50,000 m of stone walls, 80,000 m of ditches |
| Technical training | 1997 | Promote youth employment and entrepreneurship | Low women’s participation in traditional men’s professions | 2,122 boys and girls intensively trained and certified |
| Information,communication | 1997 | No telephone system, no access to Internet | Lack of electricity, resistance of companies to delivering IT services, high price of solar energy | Solar-powered radio-link network established including Internet, cyber cafés, > 2000 children trained in computer use and Internet |
| House construction | 1998 | Replace hurricane-destroyed houses | Resistance of people to moving to safer areas | 300 new houses constructed |
| Piped water | 1999 | Poor water quantity and quality | Scarcity of ground water, no electricity in some areas |
1,300 new houses with piped water including water meters |
| School breakfast | 1999 | Increase school coverage and performance | Water quality; led to drinking water projects at schools | Primary school attendance increased from 70 to 98%. Scaled up as national policy to all public schools in 2007 |
| University scholarships | 2000 | Strengthening local professional capacities | Low quality of some university training. Some dropouts | More than 185 new professionals in the area in different specialties. León University opens local branch |
| Maternity waiting homes | 2005 | Promote institutional delivery | Lack of food at home for other children | Increase of institutional deliveries from 52% in 2004 to 90% in 2014. Food packs for waiting families at home |