Between 2012 and 2018, with the Second Educational Sector Support Project (PASEN II), an International Development Association (IDA) financed project, around 230,000 primary students of the poorest regions of the country, representing 25 % of the national enrollment in primary education, received math, language, and literature textbooks. Almost 2,400 schools were equipped with new furniture. Students from the autonomous regions in the Caribbean received 81,500 bilingual and monolingual textbooks in local languages. Also, more than 427,000 students received backpacks stocked with school supplies and shoes, which were recognized by parents as an incentive to keep their children in school.
Since 2017 and as a follow up to PASEN II, the Project “Alliance for the Quality of Education” (ACE) has been improving pedagogical practices of teachers and educators nationwide at preschool, primary and secondary levels. It has also been improving the conditions of school environments for learning in selected schools; and strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Education for project management, monitoring and evaluation. There have been important achievements, such as the implementation of a Teacher Mentoring Program for primary and secondary school teachers, including the training of more than 500 school directors and deputy-directors, and the effective mentoring of more than 1250 teachers; in-service training for primary and preschool teachers with more than 9000 preschool teachers participating. The project also provided materials and equipment for teachers and students. In addition, it is planned to build more than 40 schools in prioritized municipalities of Nicaragua, of which several are under construction. All activities are carried out respecting and strengthening the multicultural nature of Nicaragua: Relevant activity documents and school material have been translated into indigenous languages and participatory decision-making mechanisms have been put in place.
The Nicaragua Catastrophe Risk Insurance Project provides access to efficient insurance for sovereign risk associated with natural events, such as tropical cyclones, earthquakes, and excess rainfall. The Nicaraguan government renewed its policies for the 2020/21 cycle for earthquakes, tropical cyclones and excess rainfall. This was Nicaragua's sixth renewal of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) policies. The sovereign insurance offered by CCRIF Segregated Portfolio Company (SPC) is currently one of Nicaragua’s main disaster risk financing instruments to provide short-term liquidity in the event of a disaster, allowing for immediate disaster response while other financings can be mobilized. The Ministry of Finance prepared for the 2020 hurricane season predicted to be more active than average. It, therefore, increased its tropical cyclone insurance coverage through the CCRIF SPC based on technical recommendations from the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER). As a result, it received $30.6 million in excess rainfall and tropical cyclone policies following Eta and Iota. This money provided short-term liquidity, allowing the government to respond to the emergency while securing other financing. Financial protection is part of the disaster risk financing strategy and operational plan developed with technical assistance from the World Bank.
In terms of water and sanitation, the Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Sector Project (PROSASR) provided water and sanitation systems to some 70 rural communities. From 2014 to 2019, 29,907 beneficiaries gained access to improved water supply and 13,980 people to safe sanitation services. The project not only financed civil works but also helped Nicaragua strengthen municipal and community capacities for the administration, operation and sustainable maintenance of water and sanitation systems in rural areas. The Project also supported the implementation of social programs to spread the benefits of proper hygiene and practices for water conservation, through a range of social learning techniques, including community theaters.
The Second Land Administration Project (PRODEP II) covered six of the 15 Departments in the country and helped develop better property rights regulations benefitting more than 805,900 people, more than half of which are women. From 2013 to June 2020, cadastral information for about 168,005 parcels was updated, and more than 110,000 families received legal documents for their properties, of which more than 82,000 are new land titles. All five protected areas within the project were demarcated, labeled and geo-referenced.
From 2015 to 2019, the Nicaragua Caribbean Coast Food Security Project (PAIPSAN for its acronym in Spanish), financed by a grant of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), helped 14,826 beneficiaries (47% - 6,983 are women; 33% - 4,839 are youth; 4,136 are indigenous and 791 are afro descendants) and their families (85,812 people) in more than 500 rural communities of 15 municipalities to improve their availability and access to more nutritious food. Implementing a Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture approach, PAIPSAN brought agricultural and artisanal fishery innovations, nutrition training, good socio-environmental practices, as well as investments to increase value-addition and commercialization to improve family agriculture practices by indigenous, afro descendent and mestizo communities. On average, the project achieved 78.25% increase of agricultural yields, while more than 8000 protagonists adopted one or more agricultural and fishery technologies promoted by the project. 91.4% of women and children in protagonist families improved their Dietary Diversity Index by consuming 7 or more groups of food with high nutritional value.
From 2017 to date, the Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program - Nicaragua (CARCIP) has promoted access to 3G cellular mobile phone services, including broadband Internet access at speeds above 2Mbps in 16 communities of the Caribbean Coast and Río San Juan, benefiting 39,518 inhabitants. A total of 450 inhabitants of these communities benefited from the digital literacy campaign, which was carried out in Spanish, Mayangna and Miskito. In addition, to strengthen digital human talent and digital innovation, the project awarded 1,747 scholarships in English, 910 scholarships in soft skills and 52 scholarships in technical skills related to the information technology industry. Finally, the project enabled two open innovation centers on the Caribbean Coast (Puerto Cabezas and Bluefields) where young university students, with the help of mentors and following an open innovation methodology, developed nine applications. Progress can also be seen in digital innovation centers for Bonanza, Siuna, León, and Granada cities.
From 2010 to August 2020, through the Public Financial Management Modernization Project, IDA showed results in strengthening the country’s financial management capacities: 100 % of Central Government agencies adopted the multi-year and results-based budgeting methodologies. The Administrative and Financial Management Information System –SIGAF– was implemented in all Central Government agencies. In addition, statistics management capacity in preparation for the Population and Housing Census improved: Nicaragua now has an updated and redesigned digital cartography for statistical operations in all the municipalities. The Building Census was done in 2017 and progress was made in the development of a technological platform for the collection and processing of Census data. The technology of using Mobile Capture Devices in the Census was tested in pilot exercises.
Since 2015 and 2018, respectively, through the projects Strengthening the Public Health Care System and Integrated Public Provision of Health Care Services, the World Bank supports the institutionalization of plans to improve the quality of health care in Nicaragua and the prevention of chronic diseases in the first level of care. The dynamic is participatory and encourages municipalities to prepare health improvement plans. This is echoed, for example, in the training of 2,518 health workers, the creation and equipping of entomology rooms for the prevention of diseases transmitted by mosquito bites; in the establishment of hospital waste management plans in 34 of the 64 hospitals; in the creation of a wastewater evaluation system; in an increase in the percentages of women receiving prenatal care (>80%), in the scope of coverage of childhood vaccination (>85%), and institutional delivery (> 88%). 95% of the municipalities report compliance with these plans, over 50% of what was proposed.
The country benefitted from key innovative procedures and technologies and reached behavioral change among institutional actors in the provision of health care. Project accomplishments comprised the introduction of municipal quality health care plans in 66 municipalities involving a comprehensive results-based payment mechanism. In addition, the first output-based financing for the National Health Workers training program was introduced. The combination of both innovations allowed the improvement of the quality provision of the services with accountability. A third and transcendental innovation was the design, implementation, and monitoring of hospital waste management plans for the public network of hospitals; it reduced the impact of waste, the contamination of the health workers and of the environment. Finally, the National Institute of Natural Medicine benefitted from the promotion of the integration of Western with traditional medicine.
Through the Project for the Adaptation of Nicaragua's Water Supplies to Climate Change (PACCAS), between 2012 and 2018, guaranteed access to water, protection of water resources, and mitigation of climate impacts in several communities vulnerable to the effects of climate change in rural areas was pursued. For example, in the Corn Islands, off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, the project resulted in the delimitation of 26 wetlands, which cover an area of protection of 150 ha and represent water reservoirs for the lives of 8,000 people living in the island; 26.6 ha of wetlands were reforested; two environmental and climate monitoring stations are up and running, which have strengthened the monitoring of climate and sea level behavior on the islands; and an environmental education and awareness plan was implemented to keeping the wetlands clean, protected and preserved as sources of life. Participation of 6,702 beneficiaries was achieved, of which 64 % are females.
Supporting social inclusion and participatory processes for resilient recovery, the World Bank approved in January 2021 an $80 million credit to finance the Nicaragua Hurricanes Eta and Iota Emergency Response Project. The Project supports the country’s restoration of services and economic activities in critical sectors after Hurricanes Eta and Iota. The focus is on targeting the diverse needs of a diverse population and facilitating the full and effective participation of stakeholders to ensure that recovery activities benefit the most vulnerable communities. The Project also includes mechanisms to promote equal access by and feedback from diverse groups and improve data collection and awareness of gender-specific needs.
Last Updated: Apr 04, 2023
