Republic of Nicaragua
The cooperation between Nicaragua and Switzerland dates back to 1979 with a commitment to the country’s reconstruction and recovery when the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza ended after the civil war. Switzerland started with support to food production and rural water supply, humanitarian aid which expanded into integrated rural development followed an expansion into development cooperation activities in 1982. Over the years, Switzerland contributed to strengthening the country’s capacities in the fields of the country’s reconstruction and recovery and supported in the areas water supply and wastewater sector, rural entrepreneurship, natural resources development as well as public and private vocational education and training.
This work has been carried out under challenging conditions as the region grappled with issues related to natural disasters and the country itself with an internal political crisis access to water and deficiencies in water infrastructure in the last 20 years. The SDC’s approach made it possible to strengthen the local communities, empower women, to managerial roles build young people’s capacities for more dynamic and foster the sense of ownership and personal responsibility, while promoting a peaceful resolution of conflicts. Results from the Swiss engagement as well as lessons learnt that can serve as inspiration for the future development of the country or in other contexts facing similar challenges can be found in the following documents.
Key documents
Nicaragua: Support to Water & Sanitation - From Infrastructure Towards Water Governance
The lack of access to water remains a serious problem in Nicaragua and Honduras, particularly for vulnerable people in rural areas. This report tells the story how SDC’s water & sanitation (W&S) engagement evolved over the years from sectorial hardware driven interventions to a more integrated approach that include aspects of health, education, governance and climate change. Institutionalization and territorial basin-based water management became more prominent over time.
More on SDC's work
The Rebirth of Honduran Cocoa
Honduras now exports six times more cocoa than it did a decade ago, and cocoa farmers are optimistic about the industry's future.
Switzerland's lasting legacy in the field of disaster risk reduction
Today, Nicaragua has a robust DRR system, thanks to Switzerland's long-term contribution.