Nicaraguan Developments, Fall 2007, Volume 23, No. 3
Hurricane Felix lashes the Atlantic Coast!
As this edition of Nicaraguan Developments was being prepared, Hurricane Felix slammed into northeastern Nicaragua, near the Honduran border, with category-five strength. At press time, the death toll had reached 168 and was still climbing. Additionally, 105 people are missing, 8,000 homes were destroyed and another 9,000 damaged, 19,000 people evacuated, and 160,000 affected in some way. Health centers and schools have been badly damaged, as has the little electrical infrastructure the coast ever had. In several communites, every single building was flattened. Some communites are completely unreachable, even by boat, which means the toll in lives and property there remains unknown.
A letter from WCCN's Executive Director
As we close this edition of Nicaraguan Developments, the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua has been hit hard by Hurricane Felix, a Category 5 storm. It is still unknown how many have died, but the numbers could reach several hundred. Property damage has been huge. Provisionally calculations say at least 17,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, exacerbating one of the most acute needs in Nicaragua.
Unfortunately, natural disasters tend to be one of the few ways to remind us that the Atlantic Coast exists, and that the needs of its people go far beyond any emergency assistance. Perhaps this time, things could be different if our relief effort has a more long-term vision as a way to provide long-term responses to the overwhelming needs of their ethnically diverse population.
An interview with Michael Radtke
WCCN member Michael Radtke is a schoolteacher on a Native American reservation in Northern Wisconsin. He has traveled to Nicaragua with WCCN on its last three study tours and shared his experiences from those tours in a recent interview with Development and Marketing Director Susan Frisbie.
SF: How were you first introduced to WCCN, and why did you decide to attend your first WCCN study tour?
Why is microfinance important in Nicaragua?
by Carlos Arenas
Executive Director
According to the Inter-American Development Bank, only 30% of the population in Latin America, and only 10% of their enterprises (including microenterprises) have access to credit. At the rural level, only 4% of the rural families in the Latin American region have access to credit from a financial institution.1 This lack of credit has allowed the birth of microfinance organizations throughout Latin America. At the same time, the success of the microfinance industry in Latin America and elsewhere has been a wake-up call for the banking industry in the entire region. In fact, during the last few years the main umbrella organization of banks in Latin America, the Latin American Federation of Banks (FELABAN), has been very proactive promoting the idea of providing microfinance services to the poorest members of society.2 Some people call this process “downscaling,” meaning that banks are now going down the social ladder to offer services to people who were previously excluded from services due to their economic level.3
Understanding the role of women’s land access in empowerment and welfare
By Asha Misra
WCCN Intern and UW-Madison student
New partner agency for the NICA Fund
The Center for Promotion of Local Development and Poverty Eradication (CEPRODEL) became the newest partner agency of the NICA Fund when it received a $200,000 loan on July 16, 2007. WCCN is pleased to support this unique NGO, whose approach to development includes a multitude of services in addition to microcredit.
Borrower Profile: Marianita Sánchez
Doña Marianita Sánchez is a poor campesina who lives in the rural community of Trinidad Central, on the western edge of the department of Managua. Like all rural communities in the department, Trinidad Central has serious social and economic problems.