With CABEI support, more than 5,800 Nicaraguan students now have adequate space and equipment for classes

Managua, January 26th, 2023 - A total of fourteen Nicaraguan schools located in municipalities in the departments of Managua, Masaya, Jinotega, Madriz, Nueva Segovia, Río San Juan and the Autonomous Regions of the North Caribbean Coast (RACCN for its name in Spanish) and South Caribbean Coast (RACCS for its name in Spanish) are being improved and equipped for the benefit of 5,860 students at different levels with the support of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).

As part of the Multisectoral Program for Economic Reactivation and Social Protection (NIC-Solidaria) financed by the multilateral, a US$15.4 million component is being implemented to strengthen the education sector, including the replacement of 28 classrooms, an ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) classroom and a roofed platform, as well as the rehabilitation of a roofed court and a food storage area at the Cristóbal Rugama school in Masaya.

"Aware of the importance of the integral education of children and adolescents for the development of societies, CABEI is prioritizing initiatives that, in addition to providing better conditions to receive lessons, can also strengthen their knowledge, increase their food security and improve their cognitive and physical development, so that they are encouraged to complete their basic education," said CABEI Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi.

As a complement to the projects, and in favor of the children's nutrition, their academic performance and their permanence in the classroom, CABEI also supports the delivery of school lunches to 1.2 million students throughout the country.

In constant support of Nicaraguan education

Other initiatives promoted by CABEI in the education sector in Nicaragua are the scholarships launched in 2022 through its Social Support Foundation (FAS) and execution of the Regional Projects Department (PROREG): the Bicentennial Scholarships and the CABEI-Zamorano Foundation, which are currently benefiting Nicaraguan children and young people.

Through the Bicentennial Scholarships, 250 low-income young people from the communities of Madriz, Nueva Segovia, Matagalpa, Managua and Masaya, who are in the sixth grade, will receive financial support of US$250 per semester for a total of five years, thus preventing them from dropping out of school.

"In Nicaragua, the Bicentennial scholarships were focused on impoverished communities or those with low productivity levels in the dry corridor zone to encourage young people with excellent academic performance to continue studying. We know how important education is for the development of our countries and for improving the quality of life of young people and their families," said CABEI Executive President Dr. Dante Mossi.

The CABEI - Zamorano Scholarship Foundation was created to provide access to higher education in the agricultural industry, one of the most important sectors in the region. 

In the 2023 – 2026 period, a total of four young Nicaraguans with academic excellence will benefit from a full scholarship that covers the entire tuition at Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School. The beneficiary students will be able to aspire to obtain an engineering degree in one of the four careers offered by Zamorano (Agronomy, Environment and Development, Agribusiness Administration and Food Agroindustry).

CABEI and Zamorano, through this program, hope to promote the development of human talent, contribute to the expansion of the labor market and the creation of companies that offer products and services related to agribusiness.