More than 68,000 people in Nicaragua's Northern Caribbean will have shelters and community centers with CABEI support

23/11/2022

Five community centers, four shelters and two health sub-centers were built as part of the Infrastructure and Social Accompaniment Program on Nicaragua's Northern Caribbean Coast.

Managua, November 23rd, 2022 - Four years into the execution of the Infrastructure and Social Accompaniment Program on Nicaragua’s Northern Caribbean Coast, financed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the program is expected to be completed in the first months of 2023, benefiting 68,177 inhabitants of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the municipality of Bilwi, in Puerto Cabezas.

"This program is of great importance for areas vulnerable to climatic effects in Nicaragua. This was evidenced by the recent passage of hurricane Julia, as communities evacuated to these centers, as well as in 2020 with hurricanes Iota and Eta. These works allow us to generate effective social capacities that ultimately translate into improving the well-being and quality of life of the region's inhabitants," said CABEI Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi.

The five community centers, four shelters and two health centers were built with high quality materials such as confined masonry, insulated footing systems, roof fasteners suitable for supporting hurricane-force winds, with an average useful life of 80 years. Throughout the development of these social investments, compliance with environmental and social safeguards is also contemplated, guaranteeing the resilience of the community through health services, shelter and refuge, within the framework of respect for the multiculturalism, worldview, language and religion of the population, as well as the environmental characteristics of the territory, since most of them are located within the Cayos Misquitos Biological Reserve.

"These have been two successful and relevant experiences, because the families in these communities felt safe and did not have to evacuate from their communities when hurricanes hit, a situation that generally occurred when these natural phenomena occurred, which made the experience even more traumatic due to the abandonment of their homes and belongings at greater distances," said CABEI Chief Country Officer in Nicaragua, Carlos De Castilla.

The shelters, with a capacity of up to 600 people, were equipped with systems for the collection, storage, treatment and disposal of water during emergencies, as well as an electric power generating system.

In the case of the sub-health centers, they have all the medical equipment and furnishings that allow them to function optimally for the comprehensive care of patients, making it possible to perform minor surgeries and deliveries, situations that previously could not be attended locally.

 

 

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