Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.

Status update — December 12, 2019

More than a year and a half since the political crisis began in Nicaragua, some stability has returned. Dialogue between the government and civil society has helped in partially resolving the crisis. However, while the government appears to consider the crisis to be over (they've suspended dialogue), many feel the root causes of the crisis remain unaddressed and protests continue. 

For Aldea Global, 2019 has brought renewed portfolio growth and a stabilizing of portfolio quality. Kiva will continue to support Aldea Global as they work with their borrowers to recover from the political crisis and subsequent economic downturn. The economy, while declining at almost 4% in 2018, according to the World Bank, has returned to growth, albeit slow, in 2019. Given the ongoing uncertainty, many banks and firms are taking a wait-and-see approach to lending and investment. The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2021.

Status update — May 22, 2018

Protests have started in Nicaragua in late April against a since-canceled move to cut social security benefits and increase payroll taxes. People have taken to the streets in demonstrations that have called for President Ortega to step down. Unfortunately, these protests have resulted in the loss of life and a partial economic paralyzation of the country. Talks are currently on-going among all parties to resolve the situation peacefully. We have been in contact with our partners and are currently monitoring the situation closely as Kiva borrowers and partner staff have been affected by such political and social unrest. This might result in an increase in delinquency rates since a lot of informal economic activities have come to a complete stop. As more information comes in, we will update lenders accordingly.

Partner description:

Aldea Global is a nonprofit association of smallholder farmers based in the region of Jinotega, Nicaragua. Aldea Global is the sixth largest green coffee exporter and the second largest small farmer association in Nicaragua. They process, market and sell member coffee and produce, working with 1,800 growers and exporting under various certifications including FairTrade, Small Producers Symbol, RainForest Alliance, Tierra Madre (women-produced coffee) and direct trade (single estate coffee). Coffee sales account for nearly 90% of their total revenue.

A unique lending approach:

Aldea Global uses Kiva financing to offer group loans to more growers, in particular women's solidarity groups, known as Grupos de Desarrollo Empresarial con Mujeres. Groups consist of 3 to 8 women and loans are grouped into 3 sectors: agriculture, small business, and water and sanitation.