| Water for the year 2000 |
potable water system installation
by Info FCSF
(info@fcsf.org)
on 27/Aug/2004 at 01:26:34
The Foundation for the Social Development Cabo San Francisco and the Red Cross of Switzerland work closely together to serve and help the people of Ecuador.
In Ecuador, a South American country located at 0 degrees, 0 minutes, 0 seconds latitude, the Swiss Red Cross maintains several projects for development. One project in particular works jointly with the Foundation for the Social Development Cabo San Francisco (an organization born in the community of San Francisco del Cabo, in the Muisne canton of the province of Esmeraldas), to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants.
For approximately two years, after the serious damage caused by "El Niño", the aid offered by the Swiss Red Cross has been fundamental and of extreme importance and has managed to bring about concrete and tangible results.
 Their support started with the construction of three classrooms for the only school in town, the "Eugenio Espejo" school, whose conditions were deplorable, unhealthy, and fostered a poor learning environment. The Foundation for the Social Development Cabo San Francisco lead the project with volunteers working in the "mingas" and with the technical and economic support of the Swiss Red Cross was able to implement a better educational infrastructure with a sanitary system to avoid the dangers of parasitic, bacterial or viral infections. Thus, it will now be suitable and safe for the infantile population and can ensure that children will go to a school in good conditions.
In order to prevent illnesses linked to poor drinking water, the combined action of two organizations, the Red Cross of Switzerland and the Foundation for the Social Development Cabo San Francisco, were able to install a potable water system in the village and construct a laundromat in each housing area, an accomplishment which required overcoming great difficulties and adverse socio-political and economic conditions in Ecuador. This terminated the task of transporting water that women and children were subject to. With this new service available in homes, children will be able to avoid infectious diseases of the skin, common in the tropical area, and the parasite infestations that are responsible for the undernourishment of the group. In addition, it will prevent the spread of other diseases of high incidence in the region, like malaria and dengue, which are transmitted by mosquitoes that usually reproduce in places of water stagnation or in stored water containers that were used before the arrival of potable water.
Lowering the sickness and mortality rates in the population can now be possible. Dedicated to serving all areas in need, a water pump was installed in the Colegio Técnico Agropecuario of San Francisco del Cabo to meet basic sanitary conditions. Students of said high school aim to implement better use of vegetable resources through a small-scale system of irrigation.
 The inauguration of these works took place on April 14, 2000 in a ceremony attended by the director of the International Cooperation of the Swiss Red Cross, Verena Wieland, and the director of the cooperation in Ecuador, Amilcar Albán. Also attending were the leaders of the Foundation for the Social Development Cabo San Francisco and a large majority of the population.
This is an example of the generous effort between international and local organizations that support development of the region. Their work is committed to the true well-being of those people in serious crisis and the increasing poverty. These important steps concern human health care for the future and hope to secure a better inhabitable environment for the coming generations.
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