Help Nicaragua's Poor Climb out of Poverty

Because of your support, Ana is unstoppable.

Despite the poverty and gender discrimination which could have held her back, Ana owned the opportunity to thrive, then paid it forward, empowering her village and lifting up the women around her to, finally, have a voice in shaping their futures.

Ana and her seven siblings grew up in La Laguna, often without enough to eat, and she worked from a very young age to pay her own school fees. Ana says her parents instilled in her a sense of independence, and also responsibility to give back to her community.

Ten years ago, in order to survive, Ana and 20 other determined women formed La Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) Trust Group to access loans from Opportunity International. Most bought goods such as oil and rice to sell by the roadside or in front of their homes. Then Opportunity International approached them to work on critical issues in the community, including the need for potable water.  Ana and her neighbors had been without drinking water in their homes for many years because of an earthquake. They would travel 7 km to fill their barrels at a monthly cost of about $24 for 3 cubic meters of water. Not only was this a great expense for people living in poverty, but also took them away from their businesses and families.

Community issues in La Laguna had always been handled exclusively by the La Laguna Community Cooperative, a group consisting of five male elders. The group had been trying to get a new well dug for about 10 years, but Ana’s Trust Group was frustrated and no longer trusted that the men could get the project completed. Ana was determined to get things done and became the first woman to join the cooperative, and then the board.  That’s when things started happening.  Opportunity International lent the cooperative $10,000, payable over 10 years, to dig a well 600 meters deep.  Under the instruction of Ana, the community members came together to dig and install piping to carry the water to each villager’s home. The cooperative started with 157 homes, and then ran piping to additional homes as more money came in. Today, the water project is self-sustaining.  Presently, 224 families pay $5.24 per month for 8 cubic meters of water. By the end of 2013, they hope to reach every family in this community of 3,800 people.  Ana says the improvement in their lives is remarkable: they save so much time and money now, and the water is far superior to what they were getting before.

In 2010, heavy rains destroyed the one road out of the village, cutting off residents’ access to healthcare and the outside world. Working with Opportunity, Ana and the other board members were able to raise the money to complete the 7.5 km road this past December, which has opened up the village’s world of opportunity. The cooperative also helps needy people rebuild their roofs, and recently refurbished the community’s library. Their next big project will be building a healthcare center for the community.

Ana has recruited other women to join the board and now there are equal numbers of women and men—and even young people—solving the community’s critical issues. She believes that the older board members must begin to train the younger women how to serve and lead. Approximately 20 people meet regularly in Ana’s home to discuss coop business.

Ana earns $60 a month as one of five employees of the cooperative; she is the bookkeeper and cashier.  To supplement this income and her husband’s earnings as a photographer, Ana prepares 130 native meals each Sunday and sells them for $1.20. She is proud that her family no longer has to live with her mother, but has their own home, that she can pay her 10-year-old son’s school fees, and that she will be able to do the same for her 3-year-old daughter when she is ready to go to school. In her mind’s eye, she sees her children as successful professionals, with a better life than she has had.

She will tell you none of this would be possible without Opportunity International’s investment.  Ana dreams of becoming a lawyer to help the people of her community. She says it hurts her when she sees people being taken advantage of by lawyers and others. She is also excited to see what Opportunity International will do beyond her village in Nicaragua, and even in other countries, and she would like to somehow to be a part of that. 

In Nicaragua, the least developed country in Central America, approximately 32 percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Nearly half of the country’s most impoverished people live in rural areas where they struggle to survive in agriculture-based occupations. For nearly two decades, Opportunity International has worked with microentrepreneurs in Nicaragua to build sustainable, successful businesses that will break them out of the cycle of poverty.

Opportunity's programs in Nicaragua seek to develop a community from within, building upon its local assets and investing in strategies that grow the local economy through the development of small and medium enterprises. With you support, the program provides both individual and community-level investments to address sustainable solutions for entrepreneurs, their families and their communities.

• Agriculture: Nicaragua’s economy is driven primarily by agriculture. Opportunity Nicaragua’s agriculture initiatives provide financing, training and technology that enable farmers to engage in sustainable practices. Our agronomists teach farmers how to create farms that recycle local resources and produce healthier crops.
• Agricultural processing plant: We assist in adding economic value to farm products through our agricultural processing plant, reducing the risk of poor farmers’ dependence on just one crop. By diversifying the products processed through the plant, farmers increase their incomes and access new market opportunities. With additional earnings and a greater peace of mind, they can feed and clothe their families, send their children to school, invest in their businesses and find hope for a better future.
• Artisan Support: Skilled Nicaraguan artisans have developed generational expertise for hand-crafted products, but often lack knowledge on how to develop a business plan or improve products for export. In response to these needs, Opportunity International links artisans with expertise in design, business, financing, training and identifying new markets.
• Community Infrastructure Projects: The Nicaragua Community Economic Development Program works with communities to enhance their ability to identify issues, create action plans, mobilize members of the community and implement successful changes that improve a community’s trajectory. These community-led initiatives, including road repair, wells, libraries, etc., are critical to instilling local ownership and long-term sustainability.
• Youth: In 2012, we expanded from one Young Life Club to three serving vulnerable teens in Granada. Emprenadora Technical High School:Established in 2012, the school empowers 7th grade students through hands-on learning in the area’s two most promising industries — tourism and agriculture. Opportunity Nicaragua teaches youth skills that are specific to their local economy, providing them tools to successfully return to their family farm or business, get a good job in the community or go to university.