To protect the health of rural communities devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, USAID allocated nearly US$9.8 million toward reconstruction over a 27-month period. The CDM-led USAID/Environmental Health Project team served as program manager, overseeing grants and providing technical oversight to six private voluntary organization grantees, which implemented the program. Interventions included provision of water and sanitation, construction of household latrines, hygiene promotion through community mobilization, and school hygiene programs. The activity exceeded objectives, reaching an estimated 215,000 beneficiaries and resulting in significant hygiene and health improvements. The project has resulted in a "new paradigm"—a shifting from interventions consisting solely of water and sanitation measures to interventions in preventive health that incorporate a central focus on water and sanitation.
CLIENT: USAID Global Health Bureau, USAID/Nicaragua Mission
LOCATION: Nicaragua