Measuring Our Impact
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is one of the poorest and least-developed countries in the Western hemisphere. Stable economic growth over the last several years has helped reduce poverty, though it is still entrenched in the more rural and remote areas of the country. Basic services — including sanitation, drinking water, commerce and banking services — are lacking, especially outside of major towns.
Founded in 1992, FINCA Nicaragua is one of the network's oldest subsidiaries. Today it is a fully-licensed bank that will soon start offering savings in addition to its range of credit, money transfer and insurance services.
FINCA Nicaragua has completed its FCAT Household Survey and will conduct an Enterprise Survey in 2017, allowing for a full report on our mission indicators.
Financial Inclusion
Nicaragua:
Reaching the Financially Excluded
Nicaragua has one of the highest rates of financial exclusion in the world; 4 out of 5 adults lack even a basic savings account. Given the overall scarcity of financial services throughout the country, it is not surprising that FINCA's outreach is mainly concentrated in urban areas.
Outreach to women is a hallmark of FINCA in Latin America, and FINCA Nicaragua is a prime example. Women make up 3 out of 4 borrowers, and most of them are the main source of income in their families. Along with its neighbor, Honduras, FINCA Nicaragua also has a very high concentration of single mothers (see Women's Empowerment below), who comprise almost a quarter of all customers.
Full financial inclusion requires that people have the ability to both borrow and save money, as their needs dictate. FINCA Nicaragua will take an important step towards this goal in 2017, with the launch of savings services targeted at non-borrowers.
Living Standards
Nicaragua:
Quality of Life
The basic standards of living among our clients in Nicaragua are roughly comparable to their peers elsewhere in the region, with some variations. Our borrowers have a very high rate of home ownership: only 3% don't own the home they inhabit, which is the lowest outside of Eurasia. Access to electricity is also much more common, reflecting the urban nature of our current client base. The lack of clean water, however, is a problem for 16% of borrowers, which is close to the regional average.
The biggest issue we observe is the very low educational levels of the household breadwinners. Among the households we serve, over half have a principal income-earner with only a primary education or less. This ratio is a little bit better than the region overall, reflecting sustained efforts at a national level to improve the educational system. But it still leaves an enormous proportion of our clients with very limited means to earn an income and to make lasting improvements in their family's quality of life.
Income & Employment
Nicaragua:
Income & Employment
No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Nicaragua.
The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.
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Women’s Empowerment
Nicaragua:
Empowering Women
FINCA Nicaragua will complete its Enterprise Survey in 2017, allowing for a full report on Women's Empowerment indicators, along with Income/Employment and Personal Aspirations.
From existing data, including operational reports and the FCAT Household Survey, we observe that FINCA Nicaragua has the third-highest outreach to women in our network, right behind Haiti and Guatemala. As everywhere else in the region, these women are usually the primary breadwinners in their households.
One particular vulnerability stands out in Nicaragua (and in neighboring Honduras) — a very high incidence of single motherhood. This not only implies enormous responsibilities on the shoulders of our clients, but it also makes their path out of poverty more challenging. Serving these families is at the very core of FINCA's mission.
Clients’ Goals
Nicaragua:
Attaining Business and Personal Goals
No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Nicaragua.
The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.
DONATENo data has been collected yet for this indicator in Nicaragua.
The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.
DONATE
Special Topics
Nicaragua:
Poverty, Economic Sectors, Jobs and Profits
FINCA Loan Sectors
No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Nicaragua.
The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.
DONATEProfit and Profit/Sales Ratio by Sector
No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Nicaragua.
The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.
DONATEJobs by Sector Due to FINCA Loan
No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Nicaragua.
The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.
DONATELatin America Stories
A One-Woman Conglomerate
It Takes a Village
