About Nicaragua
After a civil war that spanned nearly two decades, it is only in the 1990’s that Nicaragua, a country of nearly 6 million people, has experienced democracy and relative political stability. The population – especially the children, which constitute over half of the population – suffered greatly as a result of the war.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch wrought havoc in the country once again, killing over 3,000 people, damaging the country’s infrastructure and destroying numerous homes, schools, small businesses and arable land. As of 2004, GDP per capita in Nicaragua was approximately $400 per year (the second lowest in the Western Hemisphere), and according to UNICEF, only 43% of Nicaraguan children stay in school until the fifth grade, and the vast majority of the population live in poverty.
Unfortunately, Nicaragua offers little in the way of a social safety net for the disadvantaged. Many of the private aid groups are overburdened and unable to attend to these children.
With a rapidly growing population of youth under 25, a cash strapped government that has few resources to invest in these youngsters, and rising rates of poverty the need for the continued work of the Fabretto Family is sadly as great as ever.
After a civil war that spanned nearly two decades, it is only in the 1990’s that Nicaragua, a country of nearly 6 million people, has experienced democracy and relative political stability. The population – especially the children, which constitute over half of the population – suffered greatly as a result of the war.In 1998, Hurricane Mitch wrought havoc in the country once again, killing over 3,000 people, damaging the country’s infrastructure and destroying numerous homes, schools, small businesses and arable land. As of 2004, GDP per capita in Nicaragua was approximately $400 per year (the second lowest in the Western Hemisphere), and according to UNICEF, only 43% of Nicaraguan children stay in school until the fifth grade, and the vast majority of the population live in poverty.
Unfortunately, Nicaragua offers little in the way of a social safety net for the disadvantaged. Many of the private aid groups are overburdened and unable to attend to these children.
With a rapidly growing population of youth under 25, a cash strapped government that has few resources to invest in these youngsters, and rising rates of poverty the need for the continued work of the Fabretto Family is sadly as great as ever.
