Nicaragua is among the Central American nations affected by a serious drought. The areas most affected by the drought are located in the northern part of the country, particularly Chinandega and Leon provinces.
The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that 47 municipalities are affected by the drought, 38 of which have lost more than 50 percent of their crops, affecting some 21,544 families. The situation has become desperate in many areas, with many people reportedly surviving on mangoes and roots.
Compounding the country's problems is a decline in the international price of coffee, which has caused a massive unemployment and migration of coffee plantation workers to the city of Matagalpa - located in a region also badly hit by the drought.
"Some are suffering from diarrhea, fevers, acute respiratory and kidney diseases, and chronic malnutrition," said CWS partner CEPAD (Council of Evangelical Churches) in a recent report. Also affecting the country are floods on the Atlantic coast, which are causing a loss of crops. Floods have affected 1,396 families there.
The drought is the most serious disaster to affect Nicaragua and the region since Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
