Local student working on economic development project in Nicaragua

Local student working on economic
development project in Nicaragua

Christopher Hart of Spencerport is part of a group of students from the State University of New York at Geneseo working to improve the economy, education and health care of the rural Central American community.

El Sauce, a municipality in the Leon district, is one of the poorest regions in that part of the world, with a 60 to 70 percent unemployment rate and where many children don't achieve a basic level of education because their families can't afford shoes, clothes and school supplies, said Nader Asgary, associate professor of economics and director of the college's Center for International Business.

They planned to study the feasibility of an economic development plan that the students have been working on throughout the academic year. They will need to test the idea and determine if it can be implemented, said Asgary. It will be a multi-year project, and Geneseo is making plans to send additional students to El Sauce in the summer for two weeks. Altogether, 10 Geneseo students are working on the economic development project either through directed studies or an international business course taught by Asgary.

Last fall, El Sauce's mayor and another administrator visited SUNY Geneseo to meet with Asgary, Jones School of Business Dean Mary Ellen Zuckerman and other participants.

Hart, 22, a senior who is majoring in business administration and legal studies, is researching ways El Sauce can increase its tourism and also examined its agriculture, entrepreneurship and banking finance.

"I got involved in this project because I wanted to make a difference. This is a real world project that we're actually following through with, and that makes it much more rewarding and exciting," said Hart. "I think traveling to El Sauce, Nicaragua, will be an amazing experience and I really hope our efforts can change the El Sauce economy for the better over time."

"This has furthered my education because I have put so much time and research into this project, and traveling to Nicaragua will most likely be an eye-opening experience that will help me to learn the everyday happenings in other cultures," said Hart.

The trip is supported in part by a grant from the Rochester International Development Corporation.