Sixty percent of Nicaragua's population lives in urban areas (mainly in Managua and surrounding communities); the growth rate in urban areas is twice that of rural areas. However, the majority of land and economic output is rural and steeped in agriculture. This, combined with 43 percent of citizens being under the age of 15, puts significant pressure on community development initiatives in these rural areas to maintain economic and cultural strength.

In addition to large development schemes sponsored by the World Bank and United Nations, dozens of international NGOs work on hundreds of projects throughout Nicaragua. Yet the best resources for empowerment are Nicaraguans themselves and their locally born, grassroots movements. Through peer training and peer education, community promotores (promoters) and brigadistas (brigade workers) "have become crucial catalysts and mediators of local development by enhancing community outreach, broadening participation, enabling individual/collective empowerment, and finding creative ways to collaborate with community members" (Salvatierra, 2005).

Promotores are instrumental in every aspect of development: serving on boards and processing administration funds and policies; conducting surveys and outreach visits in homes and community centers; and organizing work projects that range from a health education radio program for teenagers to the installation of solar-powered wells for clean and accessible water. These promotores and brigadistas transform communities by empowering local leaders who then offer culturally sensitive education programs and capacity building that is proving to be one of the more successful development movements in the country.

Support for the promotores, brigadistas. and their affiliate organizations is constantly needed. With low government funding and minimal programs, many Nicaraguans access health services, education assistance, microenterprise loans, and "basic needs" (e.g. water, housing, and food) through local NGOs. FSD works to empower local communities by supporting these NGOs in the organization and implementation of workshops, training programs, and development projects that benefit all aspects of the community. This commitment to shared input and teamwork is central to FSD's philosophy. Veteran FSD participant Julie Mergendoller emphasizes, "As an intern, I learned how important it is to work with the host organization (not just at the host organization) and to collaborate on all aspects of the project—identifying need, formulating, and implementing contribution. This is the only way to make the work relevant and sustainable" (Summer 2005).

Read more about Community Development programs and opportunities initiated by our Community Partners in Nicaragua.

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