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ICF Board member, Gabriela Flores, gives her
perspective on ICF's work in Baja California Sur
 Through
my involvement with ICF over the last six years, it has
become clear to me that a sense of place and belonging
is necessary for a community to be empowered and proud.
I am currently residing in La Paz, BCS but I’ve been
coming down here for the last 13 years, and I can
observe that this community is growing and facing
challenges in part exported by the same US model of
excessive and rapid development affecting Southern
California with a clear impact on the quality of life. I
wondered, is this what the people from La Paz really
want? Is there a way for philanthropy to be part of the
lives of Pazeños? How committed are we at ICF to the
communities we want to help?
An important tool that ICF was able to help bring to
local community leaders was the Alternative Futures
Study for La Paz, a collaborative urban planning
analysis undertaken by UABCS and Harvard University to
show possible scenarios of urban development based on
the choices of present leaders in the community. With
this decision-making tool, the local community is
reflecting on the direction of its development and the
importance of its participation to define its own
future.
I asked myself — how can ICF continue to help La Paz to
reach a self-defined community vision? My answer was to
help local people build their own capacity. This
revelation motivated me to volunteer for a citizen’s
group with the sincere concern to maintain and support a
good quality of life for all. That’s the way Comunidad,
Visión y Desarrollo A.C. (COVYDE) was born; with a
vision of providing information and resources to the
community to define and support a sustainable
development for La Paz.
COVYDE’s principal goal is the definition of an index of
quality of life for La Paz that can serve as a baseline
to aid citizens and governments to assess the impacts of
public policy. This index will indicate the vital signs
that we should watch over time. Eventually, COVYDE
dreams of a permanent Community Resource and Information
Center, a place of gathering and dialogue, with public
access to information, a strong community volunteer
program, a geographic information service, an
independent think tank derived from the merge of
disciplines and sectors united under the vision of a
sustainable future for La Paz.
ICF has planted a seed in La Paz with the Alternative
Futures study and the numerous grants it has provided to
local organizations over the years. Our continued
responsibility is to make sure these seeds continue to
grow, before we can move on to a new fertile ground and
plant more seeds. COVYDE is an example of a new seed for
La Paz and I look forward to working with other ICF
donors and funders to continue supporting its growth. |
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