Santa Ana, Nicaragua
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General Information
| Population* | 1,303 |
| Number of homes | 163 |
| Number and % of children |
0-5 years: 154 children (15%) 6-14 years: 247 children (16%) |
| Electricity | Do not have electricity. The company that is currently building the hyrdoplant “Larreynaga” has promised the installation of electricity in the community. As of now, only the poles have been installed. |
| Municipality | Jinotega |
| Department | Jinotega |
| Health Center | Yes |
| Distance from compound | 62 kms, ~1.5 hours |
| Road conditions | Excellent until the river. After this point, requires a 400 meter walk on rocks (~20 minutes) |
* Population does not reflect how many patients will be seen on Medical
Brigades as many people from surrounding communities come seeking
Medical Brigades medical attention.
Expressed Needs and Capacities
The community of Santa Ana has expressed three specific needs to be addressed. Their community water tank is out of date and under-maintained, and with concerns of leaks and sanitation, they see the reconstruction of water tanks as a primary issue. Within specific familial needs, Global Brigades has received requests for the construction of 49 latrines, as well as the construction of 10 homes.
Santa Ana currently has a two classroom school in which about 54 children attend. The majority of the community members only complete primary school as there is no secondary education facility within the community. To attend secondary school, they would have to travel to Jinotega, which takes about two hours walking on foot, which is unfortunately the only option due to the fact that there is no transportation system.
Their water system is outdated, as it was built about 16 years ago. The greatest difficulty within Santa Ana is that the storage tank is damaged with consistent water leakage. Also, lacking the proper level of pressure, the water within the tank is unable to reach to all sectors within the community, creating an urgent need to access to water. In addition, while they have no reliable water service in their homes, they instead have two public sources where the whole community must collect water and carry it back to their home.
The community is unable to maintain basic healthy conditions because the nearest health center is located in the community of El Cacao, which is about 12 kilometers away and community members can only travel by foot. If the health center is not adequately staffed, then they have to travel even farther to the next city of Jinotega. The surrounding communities of Yagualica and Los Capules have to travel even great distances to have access to healthcare. One of the requests of these communities is the construction of a health center so at the very least they have access to healthcare.
The main source of income for residents of this community is the re-selling of fruits and vegetables they bought at the market in Jinoetga on the street at a higher price. The trip to the city of Jinotega takes about 3 hours on foot. Another source of employment is the need of unskilled labor for the construction of the hydroelectric plant nearby.
CARITAS Diocesan, a non-profit that has projects focusing on the reforestation of fruit trees in the surrounding communities.