The rest of this week we will be meeting with many Nicaraguan non-profit organizations (known as non-governmental organizations, or NGOs) dedicated to improving the conditions for the poor. They provide credit to individuals involved in very small businesses which the banking sector has ignored. Most of these “micro-enterprise borrowers” are women who are single mothers or the sole economic providers for their household. Many live in conditions of extreme poverty. Other NGOs we will visit work directly with cooperatives and the “free trade” sector of the economy. And yet other NGOs we will visit with work in the area of affordable housing. I believe in the absence of a government that is able and/or willing to prioritize economic development for the half of Nicaragua living in poverty, these NGOs provide an invaluable contribution to society and the Nicaraguan economy. Yet they are largely invisible to the larger economy. As we visit the organizations I’ve just described I will try to write more about what it is they are doing and the stories they share with us.
We will have the opportunity to visit a number of end borrowers of the NICA Fund's investments in Nicaragua as well this week. I'm having a hard time getting to sleep this evening in anticipation of all the exciting conversations we will be having in the days ahead.
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