Ciudadela

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Engineering
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Ciudadela is located in the mountainous region of northern Nicaragua in the department of Jinotega. A typical house is made of wood and mud. The community has access to a health centre within the community. Ciudadela has a primary school, however, if the community members want to continue their secondary education, they have to travel to the nearest city. Most people in the community work as agricultural labourers.

Global Brigades is working to start with the Medical Program in Ciudadela and the implementation of the Holistic Model and will begin as soon as feasible. In their communication with Global Brigades, the top three needs expressed was access to clean water and sanitation facilities.

Municipality: Jinotega
Department: Jinotega

*Brigades to this community are temporarily suspended at this time

Homes : 158
Population : 542
Water System : Not Started
Community Bank : Not Started
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Not Started
% of Homes with Latrines : 46%
Education : Up to primary school
Distance from Lodging Facility : 21 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Healthcare access in Nicaragua is structured by the Ministry of Health, based in the capital, Managua. From there, each of the fifteen departments has its own department hospital, which is overseen by the SILAIS administrations (Sistema Local de Atención Integral en Salud). At a municipality level, there is a health centre (Centro de Salud) for every municipality within the department. While they are not hospitals, health centres in the municipality are typically staffed with one doctor, and two nurses, that can attend to patients with chronic, communicable, or noncommunicable diseases, as well as pregnancies. They, however, do not have the ability to perform surgeries.

Lastly, most but not all communities have a Puesto de Salud, a smaller health centre. These health centres are usually staffed with only one nurse and a rotating physician. Physicians are staffed in these health centres by Nicaragua’s Social Service. This is an initiative that requires Nicaraguan medical students to do two years of service in rural communities prior to graduating.

The physician density in Nicaragua is approximately 1,099 people for every doctor. According to the World Health Organization, there should be a maximum of 435 people per physician to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention. This density is significantly lower for the 40.6% of the population that lives in rural areas. It is for this reason that Nicaragua’s Social Service initiative brings medical students to these communities. However, access remains limited since these training physicians may be assigned to up to fifteen communities at a time.  

Ciudadela has access to a health centre within the community. Even with this access, it is important to note that medications, supplies, and materials are often not available in these health centres and are dependent on government funding. There is no access to private pharmacies. Additionally, as noted above, access to trained medical professionals is limited.

During their initial communications with Global Brigades, the top three illnesses in children that Ciudadela expressed were diarrhoeal diseases, flu and fevers, and pneumonia. For adults, common illnesses are chronic diseases as well as arthritis, and headaches. Without access to trained healthcare professionals and medications, chronic diseases can go unmanaged, leading to further health problems. Acute illnesses can also be severe and affect the quality of life.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

Ciudadela doesn’t have Community Health Workers in training. Community Health Workers, or Brigadistas de Salud, work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities. They are tasked with treating and preventing common illnesses, and some of their responsibilities include first aid, supporting and caring for pregnancies and newborns, and responding to emergency situations.

They are also responsible for following up with chronic patients to ensure proper administration of medications and treatments to avoid further complications. Global Brigades is planning to establish a partnership with Ciudadela Community Health Workers and the Ministry of Health when feasible and is looking forward to providing these Community Health Workers with blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, glucometers, and first aid kits, to facilitate more impactful work once they are able to provide their services to the community members. 

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Ciudadela but has not yet begun with the Medical Program. Now in the planning phase, Medical Brigades will start as soon as feasible.

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS:

While medical access is low, dental access is even more sparing. Dental services are not available within the community health centres, or even the municipality health centres. Instead, if a patient was needing dental care, they would be required to travel to one of the country’s fifteen department hospitals. This could be up to a 2-3 hour bus ride, with many needing to first walk or horseback ride to the bus stop.

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Ciudadela but has not yet begun with the Dental Program. Now in the planning phase, Dental Brigades will start as soon as feasible.

 

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

CIUDADELA’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

The community of Ciudadela didn’t have a connection or a water system built in place. The community relied on water from a creek that runs through the river, the women washed clothes in the river and carried water to and from the creek on a daily basis for cooking, cleaning, and drinking in the house. However, because it was untreated water, it increased the risk of gastrointestinal infections, diarrhoea, and parasites. There are also many other poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in Ciudadela such as a lack of latrines, water storage units, and showers.

882

Beneficiaries

5

Average community volunteers

CIUDADELA’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION

In 2022, Global Brigades Nicaragua, the Municipality of Jinotega, and Global Brigade’s volunteers designed a plan for a water system for the community of Ciudadela. The land was first surveyed by the Municipality of Jinotega and from this land survey, it was determined if the design done by the brigade was feasible for the community.

Over the course of the following months, Global Brigades volunteers worked alongside the committee and community members to design a system that now reaches 158 families and 882 beneficiaries. Before the project’s completion in March 2022, a capacity test of the well was completed and demonstrated a capacity of 6340 gallons.

ENGINEERING VOLUNTEERS IN CIUDADELA

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Taft School January 2022

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

CIUDADELA’S WATER CHALLENGE

The community of Ciudadela didn’t have a connection or a water system built in place. The community relied on water from a creek that runs through the river, the women washed clothes in the river and carried water to and from the creek on a daily basis for cooking, cleaning, and drinking in the house. However, because it was untreated water, it increased the risk of gastrointestinal infections, diarrhoea, and parasites. There are also many other poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in Ciudadela such as a lack of latrines, water storage units, and showers.

CIUDADELA’S WATER SOLUTION

Global Brigades volunteers worked alongside the committee and community members to design a water tank system that now reaches 158 families and 882 beneficiaries. Before the project’s completion in March 2022, a capacity test of the well was completed and demonstrated a capacity of 6340 gallons.

Water System : Yes
Type of Water System : Mixed water tank
% of Homes with Access to Water : 100%
Water Council : N/A

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Ciudadela but has not yet begun with the Business Program. In the planning phase, local staff is working with community members to assess the economic needs of the community, establish a community bank, and identify micro-enterprises that can benefit from on-brigade consultations. 

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : None
Economic Activities : Agricultural labor
Existing Microenterprises : N/A

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Ciudadela but has not yet begun with the Public Health Program. Very few homes in the community have latrines. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products will start as soon as feasible.

% of Homes with Latrines : 46%
% of Homes with Showers : 0%
% of Homes with Washing Station : 0%
Common House Materials : Wood

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

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