Nicaragua is the poorest country in Latin America and second poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Currently, over 50 percent of the 5.5 million residents are living below the poverty line.

High unemployment and underemployment have resulted in this widespread poverty and country-wide economic instability. As a whole, Nicaraguans lack access to the work and borrowing ability that are needed to build a strong economy. To read more about Microfinance issues in Nicaragua, click here.

FSD supports a variety of microeconomic development organizations by combing the efforts of interns, volunteers, and donors to:

• Offer strategic coaching and other consulting services geared toward the successful management of microenterprises run by women. The initiative holistically addresses accompanying personal and health issues that affect these women and their families.
• Assemble borrowing groups that support each other's microenterprises and take financial responsibility for each other's loans.
• Provide business training programs and workshops geared toward the needs of poor, undereducated women who either need vocational skills, operate a small business, or would like to open a new microenterprise.
• Provide logistical support to microcredit borrowers so that they understand the arrangement and terms of their loans, are able to maximize the use of these funds, and utilize various savings strategies.
• Conduct research that analyzes the successes and failures of a micro-lending program, a business development center for vocational training, and other topics related to microenterprise development.
• Distribute international grants toward effective projects and trainings for the cultivation of microenterprises and microcredit programs for marginalized communities.

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

For a description of the opportunities available in each development subject addressed by FSD in Nicaragua, click on the links below:

Microfinance • Environment • Health • Youth and Education
Women's Empowerment • Community Development • Human Rights

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