Community aid tracking in Nicaragua

Over the next few months aidinfo is hoping to work with the Centro de Estudios y Análisis Político (CEAP) in Nicaragua to track aid flows being received by four communities in both rural and urban Nicaragua. The objective of the study is to find out to what extent members of each community are aware of aid flows to their community; if they are aware of their entitlements (if any) to these flows; and their participation in determining how these funds are spent.

Nicaragua should prove to be an interesting case with official development assistance (ODA) accounting for 15.1% of GDP in 2005 it a heavily aid dependent country. But aid to Nicaragua is highly fragmented. The ODAnic database  has attempted to provide a repository of all ODA to Nicaragua.

We are in the process of finalising a proposal for this work and exploring possibilities with CEAP, but we'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has experience of conducting similar research in Nicaragua (or elsewhere).