World Bank2017-06-302017-06-302010-05https://hdl.handle.net/10986/27495Nicaragua, a largely urban country (56 percent of the population lives in urban areas), is one of the least populous (5.53 million) and poorest countries in CentralAmerica. Following reforms in the 1980s, Nicaragua made remarkable progress in gender equity in education and the labor force, while the wide availability of primary health care initiated in the 1970's, including family planning services, led to improvements in infant and child mortality rates. Several lessons emerge from Nicaragua's success at reducing fertility. The government was committed to gender equity and female empowerment through educating girls and women and recruiting women into the labor force. Family planning services were provided within a well functioning primary health care system, including an extensive, efficient contraceptive distribution network that works with international donors, and international and national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to offer women a good mix of options. Demand must be created through a timely public education campaign. Success requires civic engagement with stakeholders, which may initially mean avoiding unnecessary confrontation and publicity of services for addressing the concerns of more conservative stakeholders.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOABORTIONABORTION LAWSACCESS TO EDUCATIONACCESS TO HEALTH CAREACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICESACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTH CAREADOLESCENT GIRLSADOLESCENTSAVAILABILITY OF FAMILY PLANNINGBASIC NUTRITIONBIRTH CONTROLBIRTH RATESBREAST FEEDINGCASH CROPSCHILD HEALTHCHILD MORTALITYCHILD MORTALITY RATECHILD SURVIVALCHILDREN PER WOMANCIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONSCOMPLICATIONSCONDOMCONDOM USECONTRACEPTIVE AVAILABILITYCONTRACEPTIVE COMMODITIESCONTRACEPTIVE METHODCONTRACEPTIVE OPTIONSCONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCECONTRACEPTIVE SERVICESCONTRACEPTIVE SUPPLYCONTRACEPTIVE USECULTURAL PRACTICESDEMAND FOR CONTRACEPTIONDEVELOPMENT PLANSDISASTERSDISEASESDOMESTIC VIOLENCEDRUGSEDUCATED WOMENEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTEQUAL RIGHTSEQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMENEQUITABLE ACCESSFAMILY PLANNINGFAMILY PLANNING CLIENTSFAMILY PLANNING SERVICESFEMALE EDUCATIONFEMALE STERILIZATIONFEMININITYFEMINISTFERTILITYFERTILITY DECLINEFERTILITY RATEFIRST BIRTHFIRST INTERCOURSEFORMAL EDUCATIONFREE CONTRACEPTIVESGENDER EQUITYGROSS NATIONAL INCOMEHEALTH CAREHEALTH CARE SERVICESHEALTH COALITIONHEALTH EDUCATIONHEALTH POLICIESHEALTH SECTORHEALTH SECTOR REFORMHEALTH SYSTEMHEALTH WORKERSHOSPITALHOUSEHOLD WORKHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN RIGHTILLITERACYIMMUNIZATIONSINDIGENOUS GROUPSINDIGENOUS PEOPLEINFANTINFANT MORTALITYINFANT MORTALITY RATEINTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATIONINTERNATIONAL WOMENIUDLABOR FORCELABOR MARKETLEGAL ABORTIONSLEVELS OF EDUCATIONLIFE EXPECTANCYLIVE BIRTHSLOW-INCOME POPULATIONSLOWER FERTILITYMANAGEMENT OF POPULATIONMARKET ECONOMYMASCULINITYMATERNAL MORTALITY DATAMATERNAL MORTALITY RATESMATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOMATERNAL ROLEMEASLESMETHOD OF CONTRACEPTIONMILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALMINISTRY OF HEALTHMODERN FAMILYMODERN FAMILY PLANNINGMODERN FAMILY PLANNING METHODSMORTALITY DECLINEMOTHERMUTUAL RESPECTNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTNATIONAL POPULATIONNATIONAL POPULATION POLICYNATURAL DISASTERSNEED FOR FAMILY PLANNINGNEONATAL MORTALITYNUMBER OF BIRTHSNURSESNUTRITIONOLDER AGE GROUPSPARENTHOOD FEDERATIONPARTICIPATION OF WOMENPHARMACIESPOLICE FORCEPOLITICAL TURMOILPOPULATION ACTIONPOPULATION ACTION INTERNATIONALPOPULATION COMMISSIONPOPULATION COUNCILPOPULATION DISTRIBUTIONPOPULOUS COUNTRIESPRACTITIONERSPREGNANCYPRIMARY EDUCATIONPRIMARY HEALTH CAREPRIMARY HEALTH CARE SYSTEMPRIMARY HEALTH FACILITIESPRIMARY SCHOOLPROGRESSPSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSEPUBLIC EDUCATIONPUBLIC HEALTHPUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMQUALITY OF LIFERAPEREDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITYRELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONSREPLACEMENT LEVELREPRODUCTIVE AGEREPRODUCTIVE HEALTHREPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROGRAMREPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICESREPRODUCTIVE RIGHTSRIGHT OF COUPLESRURAL AREASRURAL WOMENSECONDARY EDUCATIONSECONDARY SCHOOLSECONDARY SCHOOL ENROLMENTSECONDARY SCHOOLINGSERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE PROVISIONSEXSEX EDUCATIONSEXUAL VIOLENCESEXUALITYSEXUALLY ACTIVESITUATION OF WOMENSOCIAL CHANGESSOCIAL CONDITIONSSOCIAL INEQUITYSOCIAL MARKETINGSOCIAL POLICIESSOCIAL SECURITYSOCIAL SERVICESSOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTSTATE UNIVERSITYTELEVISIONTHERAPEUTIC ABORTIONTHERAPEUTIC ABORTIONSUNFPAUNIONSUNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUNDUNIVERSITY EDUCATIONUNMARRIED ADOLESCENTUNPLANNED PREGNANCIESUNSAFE ABORTIONUNWANTED PREGNANCIESURBAN AREASURBAN WOMENVIRGINWARWOMANWORK FORCEWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONYOUNG PEOPLEYOUNG WOMENReportWorld Bank10.1596/27495