Poverty Reduction and Local Development Project

closed

The Poverty Reduction and Local Development Project, will assist the Government of Nicaragua by partially implementing the poverty reduction strategy, and by continuing to improve access to small-scale social, and economic infrastructure to the poor. The components include: 1) subproject financing, to enable a continued support from the Emergency Social Investment Fund (FISE), in the replacement, expansion, and improvement of basic social services. Training in community organization, operations, and maintenance will be provided. The component aims at improving the quality, and comprehensiveness of investments; ensuring community participation; coordinating with service providers to ensure adequate supply-side interventions; and, addressing the specific needs of indigenous populations; 2) financing of participatory municipal planning, which includes technical assistance (TA), and training provision for communities, and municipalities alike, so as to be able to conduct future planning by themselves. Decentralization of subproject management will continue, through TA from FISE, while capacity building will be provided not only to communities, and municipalities, but to private stakeholders; 3) supporting the development of safety nets within a strengthened social protection strategy, and improved management of public investments in social areas, including monitoring and evaluation of safety net programs. An innovation fund will be established within FISE to pilot safety net measures for poverty reduction; and, 4) project management covering institutional strengthening, supply of equipment, and external auditing.