Las Mesitas

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

Overview

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

Global Brigades is working on starting with the Medical Program in Las Mesitas and implementing the Holistic Model which 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: El Sauce
Department: Leon

*Brigades to this community are temporarily suspended at this time

Homes : 40
Population : 250
Water System : Not Started
Community Bank : Active Implementation
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : Yes
Community Health Workers : Not Started
% of Homes with Latrines : 100%
Education : Up to primary school
Distance from Lodging Facility : 63 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.  

Las Mesitas 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 Las Mesitas 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

Las Mesitas 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 Las Mesitas 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 Las Mesitas 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

Global Brigades is working on implementing the Holistic Model in Las Mesitas but has not yet begun with the Engineering Program. The community members in Las Mesitas have a water system built in 1999 that needs improvement. Now in the planning phase, the re-design and improvement of the infrastructure will start as soon as feasible.

882

Beneficiaries

5

Average community volunteers

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on implementing the Holistic Model in Las Mesitas but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Even though 100% of homes in the community have access to a water system, this system needs improvements. Now in the planning phase, the designing and improvement of the water infrastructure will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of Water System : Well
% of Homes with Access to Water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

LAS MESITAS’ ECONOMIC CHALLENGE 

Rural communities in Nicaragua face a number of structural obstacles when it comes to economic growth. Access to credit is limited by physical barriers in transportation and exclusion from formal financial institutions. This exclusion can be the result of a lack of financial literacy, credit history, and land titles or substantial assets consumer goods to offer as collateral. Additionally, maintaining savings is not a common practice in rural communities in Nicaragua, and when families do save, they often do not have a safe place to do so.

In Las Mesitas, the average family income is low per household. The main form of employment in Las Mesitas is agriculture, and the primary crop produced is vary based on the season. Economic growth faces additional obstacles due to the community’s dependence on agriculture and day labouring, as its inhabitants’ incomes are earned on a seasonal basis, determined by crop yields, and susceptible to external factors like drought, disease, and international market trends.

*No volunteers have been able to support this program’s work but continued progress has been able to be accomplished through the generous support of the Merkel Foundation.

0*

Volunteers

28

Savings Accounts Opened

Community Bank : Active Implementation
Community Bank Members : 6
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 Las Mesitas 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 : 100%
% of Homes with Showers : 0%
% of Homes with Washing Station : 10%
Common House Materials : Wood and bricks

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature