Silver Spring, Maryland--The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) completed a health and nutrition program designed to reduce malnutrition rates and improve the quality of life of nearly 130,00 residents in the northern departments of Nueva Segovia and Madriz, two of the poorest regions in Nicaragua, with the highest rates of child malnutrition in the country.

The Development Activity Program (DAP), a two-phase project launched in 2002 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has improved agricultural practices, health and nutrition, infrastructure, and resource management in Nicaragua's rural areas. It has also created new food for work initiatives and economic development opportunities.

"This project has improved not just the local economy, but the financial standing of the families, and their social condition as well," said Plinio Vergara, country director for ADRA Nicaragua.

Participating farmers have increased their yearly incomes by creating and developing new value chains in the local market, organizing new agri-businesses, and building and improving relationships with micro-credit lenders and international sellers, such as Wal-Mart's Hortifruti, All American Farms, Mount Dora Farms, Agroportadora Segovia, Maquila Lempa, , and Agrolempa. Training in new agricultural practices and technological innovations has also helped farmers produce more than 11,000 metric tons in agricultural produce, which has resulted in some $3.3 million in agricultural sales.

Before the implementation of the DAP, a large number of beneficiaries worked as subsistence farmers, earning a small income and producing only enough food to survive. When crop yields dropped due to periods of drought, many were forced to leave their families to find work on coffee or sugarcane plantations. This project has allowed farmers to maintain consistent crop yields, reducing job losses, improving incomes, and maintaining family stability.

The health component of ADRA's involvement benefited an estimated 100,000 people, reducing the number of children in the region experiencing nutritional stunting from 49.2 percent in 2001 to 11.6 percent in 2007, and the rate of nutritional wasting by more than 37 percent.

ADRA also trained health volunteers and established 154 home bases and health committees, which monitored the health and nutrition of nearly 88,000 beneficiaries in targeted communities, ensuring the continued health of both mothers and children, through the provision of prenatal care, medical consultations, weighing sessions, and more. Parents, volunteers, health workers and promoters also received training in important health issues, such as disease prevention, nutrition, breastfeeding, vaccination and family planning.

"By providing important initiatives like health education for mothers, vaccinations, and growth and development surveillance, we are making a profound impact in the local communities," shared Vergara. "It is essential to the sustainability of the project, and will make a significant difference in those communities for generations to come."

Through the construction of five mini-aqueducts, 1,868 latrines and 90 wells, ADRA has improved access to clean water and provided community sanitation for more than 20,000 beneficiaries. ADRA's rehabilitation of 60 miles (98 kilometers) of community roads, helped to rebuild the agricultural infrastructure of the region. Other initiatives included the construction of 288 ditches, one commercialization center, 65 greenhouses, 222 acres (89 hectares) of drip irrigation systems, as well as the irrigation of three districts, and the reforestation of nearly 17,000 acres (6,879 hectares) of land with trees.

ADRA Nicaragua, which has a long history of partnering with USAID, is now considered one of its main partners in Nicaragua, working in food security, community health, water and sanitation, road rehabilitation, and environment management.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.

Author: Nadia McGill

Media Contact: John Torres, Senior Public Relations Manager, ADRA International 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 Phone: 301.680.6357 E-mail: Media.Inquiries@adra.org