Fondo para la Paz and the Dow Live Earth Run for Water Partnership

Water scarcity is an issue affecting countries, communities and families all over the world. One in eight people don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. Communities in Africa, Latin America and Asia suffer 1.8 million deaths every year from diarrheal diseases and the death of 5,000 children each day due to inadequate water infrastructure. In these areas, women and children are forced to walk 6 km (3.7 miles) each day to secure water that is likely unsuitable for drinking.

The Dow Live Earth Run for Water is the largest solutions-based initiative aimed at solving the global water crisis in history. Taking place on April 18 th, 2010, the event will consist of a series of 6 km runs/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) occurring over the course of 24 hours. The events will feature live musical performances and water education activities in an effort to ignite a massive global movement to put an end to this epidemic.

Forty cities will participate, including Mexico City. A cross-platform global fundraising effort will raise money to fund sustainable and scalable water programs. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water global network of NGO partners, including Global Water Challenge, A Child’s Right, Fondo para la Paz, will fund credible water projects such as boreholes, spring protection, solar filters, wells, water kiosks and reverse osmosis systems in developing nations around the world. Akvo´s website is making donations for projects easier, including one proposed by Fondo para la Paz. For more information please visit http://www.akvo.org/rsr/project/89/

The global water crisis is a solvable issue. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water campaign focuses on the sources and impact of the global water crisis locally, nationally and internationally, as well as on the actions individuals can take to effectively address the issue. People are encouraged to START solving the problem today, RUN in a run/walk in their city or organize their own run/walk through the Friends of Live Earth program, SAVE water in their home and local community through conservation efforts, GIVE money to support clean, safe water projects in developing nations, and SPEAK UP and sign the Live Earth petition to add water as a basic human right to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. For more information please visit http://liveearth.org/.

CIDEAL finances research for the increase of income in rural zones of Mexico.

The Research and Cooperation for Development Center (CIDEAL) is supporting Fondo para la Paz in its effort to design and analyze an Economic Development Model that will increase the income in indigenous rural communities.

This project is being carried out under the supervision of the Natural Resources Business Department belonging to the Instituto Poletécnico Nacional, one of most prestigious research institutes in the country.

Fondo para la Paz ad the Canadian Embassy joins Fondo para la Paz to tackle down poverty of time.

One enormous burden on women is that they must spend hours every day grinding food by hand. This project, financed by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives, will allow women to buy a home mill that grinds food in minutes. With more time, women will be able to participate in other activities such as literacy classes or to participate in economic activities. More than 603 families are benefiting from this project.

Four brand new schools for indigenous children.

This year four rural indigenous schools that were made out of cardboard and wood were rebuilt with long lasting materials. The reconstruction included recreational areas and adequate sanitary facilities.

Sustainable production corn by indigenous communities at the Huasteca Potosina.

Farmers of the Tiyou and Pokchich community in the Huasteca Potosina will begin growing of corn with genetically superior seeds that have a better resistance to drought and plagues. Also they will be trained on the use of environmentally friendly fertilizers. This project will have a duration of four months and will benefit 200 families.

300 families have begun to build their environmentally friendly stoves that will help minimize health hazards.

Indigenous communities still rely on wood as their primary source of domestic energy. Wood smoke contains a large number of pollutants and known health hazards including carcinogens. Exposure to indoor air pollution from wood combustion is know to be an agent of several diseases in developing countries, including respiratory infections, asthma and lung cancer.

300 families from the states of San Luis Potosi and Veracruz have begun to build environmentally friendly stoves that avoid smoke exposure. These stoves can cut down the use of wood and the emissions of pollutants up to 50%. The project was financed by Boehringer Ingelheim Promeco.