SuNica is a nonprofit that has operated in Nicaragua for over a decade. Their mission is to bring clean water to rural villages while ensuring long-term sustainability. Instead of simply building infrastructure, SuNica works side by side with communities - training water committees, fostering ownership, and building capacity so systems can be maintained for generations. They also run community centers for children in marginalized areas, offering education and safe spaces for growth.
In Nicaragua, lack of access to clean water drives widespread health challenges, including high rates of kidney disease linked to chronic dehydration. SuNica knew that building infrastructure alone wasn’t enough - they needed community engagement and ongoing measurement to track whether their approach was improving health and quality of life. Collecting this kind of data across remote rural areas posed a serious challenge.
SuNica used Simba to launch baseline surveys in communities before water projects began. These surveys measured health outcomes, especially indicators tied to hydration and kidney health. The organization also used Simba in its community centers to quantify participation, tracking “kid hours” to understand how many children were being reached and supported. By collecting data through WhatsApp, SuNica could capture insights directly from the field in a low-tech, accessible way.
With Simba, SuNica now has baseline data that will allow them to do longitudinal assessments as water projects are completed over the coming years. For the first time, they will be able to demonstrate how clean water infrastructure and community engagement impact long-term health outcomes. In the short term, tracking community center usage has already helped staff and founders better understand the difference they are making, grounding their work in numbers as well as stories.
SuNica uses Simba’s WhatsApp platform to gather baseline health data and track community center participation, laying the foundation for long-term impact measurement in Nicaragua.
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