»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ

Our Work for Children in Nicaragua

Since 1980, »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵhas been a leading charity for children and families in Nicaragua. We promote children’s rights to education, to health and to a life without violence. Our approach is based on the participation of children, their families and their communities in their own development.

Our work focuses improving maternal, infant and child health, working in partnership with government ministries to reach children living in remote and rural communities. 

Our generous donors help support important programs such as monitoring growth rates, vaccinations, distributing vitamins, and educating young people about proper hygiene and sanitation. Our health experts train community health workers to treat the most common childhood diseases including diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia – saving countless lives. We also work to address children’s education, protection and emergency response needs.

In addition, we work to strengthen public institutions and establish monitoring systems to ensure the fulfillment of child rights at the local and national levels, including ensuring children’s voices are respected and heard.

Here are some recent examples of our work:

A healthy start in life

• We've coordinated with the Ministry of Health to reduce child mortality, which has involved training, supplying and supervising community health workers (called brigadistas) to manage sick children who have limited access to facility-based health service
• We’re working with local organizations and the Ministry of Health to prevent HIV through efforts that combine health services with community action, using a family and community health model, including peer education activities for HIV prevention and individual counseling
• We’re working with the government and civil society to guarantee a child’s right to a name and nationality by promoting birth registry

The opportunity to learn

• We’re working with local partners and the Ministry of Education to improve education access and quality, with a concentration on young students, as well as prioritizing the inclusion of children with disabilities
• We’re developing early education methodologies that encourage the use of creative arts and recreational reading, and that promote children’s active learning
• We’re working with rural populations to implement combined initiatives that mobilize communities and promote women’s participation through local food security groups, working to reduce malnutrition by increasing crop yields, improving basic grain storage, diversifying production of crops with high economic and nutritional value, involving women to strengthen their management skills, and connecting beneficiaries to profitable value chains
• We’re also contributing to an increased understanding of market opportunities, credit systems, and the promotion of technologies among producers, which allows families to climb the ladder of food security by taking advantage of their skills and available resources

Protection from harm

• We’re working with the government and civil society, as well as children themselves, to ensure child protection policies are developed, implemented and monitored, including those regarding the threat of trafficking and organized crime targeting adolescents, especially girls