NICARAGUA

National Network Status

The country has been implementing the Healthy Municipalities initiative since 1994 when the municipality of León formally committed to the movement. The municipalities of La Paz Centro, Quezalgoaque, El Sauce, and Nagarote have also declared their involvement formally through a municipal decree. Other municipalities that have participated in the initiative at some level are San Juan de Oriente, Nanadasmo and Nandaime.

Nicaragua has experienced a resurgence of the Healthy Municipality movement since a change of national government took place in December 1996. At the end of 1996, the mayors of Corinto, Carazo, Boaco, Santa Lucia, Camoapa and La Libertad formally expressed interest in becoming healthy municipalities. In 1997, the municipalities of Nindiri, Diriamba and San Marcos took preliminary steps to also become part of the movement. There is currently no national network of healthy municipalities, though interest has been expressed in forming one.

Although Nicaragua does not have a national Healthy Municipality policy, the Nicaraguan Institute of Municipal Development (INIFOM), created in 1990, has as its principal objective the strengthening of municipal administration and municipal development. With its focus on popular participation and training, INIFOM is already working in line with many healthy municipality concepts. In the area of the environment, INIFOM has been involved in education programs and the development of municipal projects that address basic sanitation.

Projects, which have been implemented across the country, addressed water filtration to remove water-borne disease transmission, sanitary landfills, integrated solid waste management, improved garbage collection and treatment, and sanitary education.

Activities

León

The municipality of León began implementing healthy municipality activities in 1994 and was the first in Nicaragua to commit to the movement. Activities have addressed healthy schools, a comprehensive study of attitudes and cultural norms regarding urban violence, reforestation, prevention of STDs among commercial sex workers, local city clean-up campaign, street children, and promotion of exclusive breast-feeding. The Department of León formed a regional network of healthy municipalities with the participation of La Paz Centro, Quezalgoaque, El Sauce and Nagarote.

Nandasmo

Although the municipality of Nandasmo only recently became involved in healthy municipality activities, and is in the process of declaring its commitment formally, a wide variety of projects already have been implemented. Examples include comprehensive programs for senior citizens, sanitation education for the prevention of diarrhea, chlorination of water in prioritized urban and rural areas, education for farmers about pesticide poisoning, and empowerment of civil society to eliminate unauthorized dumpsites.

Other Projects

Managua is the only Latin American City that is participating in an UNDP/LIFE-funded international Healthy Cities Project that commenced in 1995. The project, which has a strong environmental health focus, has enjoyed wide support from a number of institutions and organizations including NGOs, community groups, universities, and government agencies. The implementation of this initiative falls under the auspices of the Association of Nicaraguan Municipalities, the Health Research and Studies Center, the Ministry of Health, and PAHO. In preparation for follow-up activities, preliminary project activities have been implemented including workshops and conferences that address environmental monitoring, sewer management, and living conditions; capacity building for project participants; environmental study of solid waste management; and a study of environmental health and hygiene in three Managua neighborhoods.

In 1997, the city held the first Meeting of Mayors for Health, which concluded with a request by participating mayors to the Association of Nicaraguan Municipalities to take steps to organize a national network of health promoting municipalities.

Diverse strategies adopted by other Nicaraguan municipalities participating in the movement include the promotion of personal responsibility for health, use of social marketing in health promotion, dissemination of information about the Healthy Municipality Movement to policy makers and community leaders, research that supports health promotion, and the promotion of community participation and institutional involvement in the pursuit of healthy municipalities. The country is also developing Healthy Schools initiatives in the municipalities of León, Quezalgoaque, Malpaisillo, Jicaral, Santa Rosa, El Sauce and La Paz Centro.

Materials

Nicaraguan Institute of Municipal Fomentation (INIFOM). Proyectos Ligados A Municipios Saludables Ejecutados y Promovidos Por Inifom. 1996. Una Estrategia de Promoción de la Salud en el Contexto Local- La experiencia nicaraguense. Preliminary Executive Summary.1996.

World Health Organization. Report of the DGIS/UNDP/WHO Healthy Cities Project Workshop on Progress in Imlementation. 1996

Contact

Eng. Anselmo Aburto, PAHO/WHO Representation in Nicaragua, Complejo Nacional de Salud, Camino a la Sabana, Apartado Postal 1309, Managua, Nicaragua, Tel: 289-4200, Fax: 289-4999.