 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
   The International Community Foundation maintained an active role this year in restoring and revitalizing life for the nearly one million individuals affected by the devastating floods that inundated most of the state of Tabasco and part of Chiapas in late October and early November 2007.
“It’s going slow. The economy is not good and there is a lot of tension because of that,” said Dr. Ruben Padron, the head of the local Red Cross chapter in Tabasco. While relief flowed in immediately afterward, much of it dried up shortly thereafter. One exception, he said, has been the donation of a mobile medical clinic by Sempra Energy Corp. “It’s soon going to be working all around the state,” Padron said. An even more ambitious recovery effort is taking place in neighboring Chiapas. A project called Ciudades Rurales and led by Fundación Azteca is creating a new urban center in the midst of destroyed villages to provide infrastructure, services, jobs and a host of other amenities not common to rural areas in Mexico. “It’s like a whole new city for those whose homes were destroyed. It will provide houses, better jobs, better health services, better opportunities,” said Fundación Azteca representative Juan José Sainz. “It’s not only for recovering from the disaster, it’s to eliminate poverty.” Ciudades Rurales began modestly, he said. But now its growth is accelerating. In June 2009, the organization plans to recognize the International Community Foundation for donating enough money for seven to eight houses. Fundación Azteca, said Sainz, has realized this is a new, more effective way to respond to disasters, having the Red Cross distribute donations just after a catastrophic event and following up with the development of a new urban system. “That’s the way we’re going to address any future disasters,” he said. “It’s a good model that could be replicated across Central America.” |