Health care system is inadequate despite modest improvement during 1980s. Nearly 50 percent of the population is unemployed or underemployed. Access to safe drinking water and basic public services is generally poor, especially in rural areas and on the Caribbean coast. 38 percent of the population is without access to safe water and 65 percent lacks access to sanitation. The quality of housing is poor in urban shantytowns, with acute housing shortage in the capital.
Rapid urbanisation requires expensive investment in transportation and sanitation infrastructures.
The most common natural hazards in the country are destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasionally severe hurricanes. Environmental problems are related to deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution and Hurricane Mitch damage. In addition, it strives to promote peace and strict respect for human rights. In addition to the headquarters in Managua, the NRC has 15 departmental committees which function autonomously, and 21 local branches. At the national level, the society has a total of 274 employees.