Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest Central American country by area with Honduras bordering on the North and Costa Rica on the South. It has an estimated population of just over 6.2 million covering a total area of just over 130,000 km2.

 

The country is broken into 15 “departments” or “districts” and 2 autonomous regions with the top four most populace departments being Managua (location of the capital), Matagalpa, Chinandega, and Leon.

 

HOLA currently focuses its efforts on the communities of Chacraseca and La Leona located just outside of Leon in the Northwest of the country.

(The Peace House and local government office)

Chacraseca

The Chacraseca community lies in Northwest Nicaragua about 5 km east of Leon. It covers approximately 78 km2 and has a total population of over 14,200 people according to its 2017 census data. Chacraseca is divided into 11 distinct sectors with the central government for the community (Accopades) located in the Raul Cabeza sector. Chacraseca is a primarily agrarian community with high levels of unemployment and impoverishment. One primary school exists in every sector of Chacraseca with the exception of Arenera and La Bolsa. Raul Cabeza and Brisas del Paraiso also have a secondary school. A new, Accopades owned, clinic opened in Raul Cabeza in June 2017. Construction of the clinic was funded by two Nicaragua based non-profits, Just Hope and Students for Sixty Thousand. Employed in the clinic is a general doctor, two nurses, a dentist and a pharmacist. The Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA) provides basic medications and supplies every month with Just Hope contributing additional funds every month to supplement this with extra medications MINSA cannot provide. Funding for everything pertaining to gynecological and obstetric care (salaries, supplies etc.) is provided by HOLA.

A new, Accopades owned, clinic opened in Raul Cabeza in June 2017. Construction of the clinic was funded by two Nicaragua based non-profits, Just Hope and Students for Sixty Thousand. Employed in the clinic is a general doctor, two nurses, a dentist and a pharmacist. The Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA) provides basic medications and supplies every month with Just Hope contributing additional funds every month to supplement this with extra medications MINSA cannot provide.

Funding for everything pertaining to gynecological and obstetric care (salaries, supplies etc.) is provided by HOLA.

La Leona

In March 2020, HOLA hired its second OBGYN, Dr. Leyla Chevez, to work two mornings a week at the MINSA clinic in La Leona. La Leona is connected to Leon via the main road and is located between Leon and Salinas Grandes. It was MINSA’s preferential site for the expansion of our OBGYN program as it will not only serve residents of the La Leona community but also residents of the farther flung and more isolated Salinas Grandes community as well.

(La Leona Clinic)

According to the most recent census data there a 4,000 people living in La Leona and a further 3,970 people living in Salinas Grandes.

Currently employed at the clinic is one doctor and two nurses along with HOLA’s sponsored OBGYN. As with the Raul Cabeza clinic HOLA is responsible for all costs related to the operation of the OBGYN program.

On average the clinic is seeing 50 women per day with up to 20 of those women requiring the services of an OBGYN. It is estimated that over the course of the next 12 months that Dr. Chevez should conduct close to 500 patient consultations.