Iván Hurtado Foundation structures its strategic plan for 2002-2003

The Andean Development Corporation signed a cooperation agreement on November 8 with the Iván Hurtado Foundation of Ecuador. The Foundation receives a donation of $69,800 for the “Párame Bola” (Pay Attention) sustainable human development project which benefits 167 children and their families in the marginal neighborhoods of Esmeraldas.

As well as financial aid, the cooperation agreement covers training, education and staff development. Its aims go beyond welfare parameters to integrate education, health, nutrition, values, leadership and football.

The results so far have been very favorable; at the start, based on psychological testing, 45% of children in the program showed serious signs of aggression. This problem has now been reduced to 20% and all are undergoing specialized treatment; 72% of children showed symptoms of depression, today reduced to 25%; and 24% suffered from problems of nutrition, now 20%. Only 38% of children had been vaccinated, today the figure is 100%. When the project began, none of the children had medical records, now all have medical assistance and regular checkups.

In sport, only 30% of the children played football, today 60% play the game under technical guidelines, and 40% of the children play some other sport.

The first program of preventative health has treated 140 children and 40 mothers, and trained 15 teachers in techniques of development of emotional intelligence.

In another important development, the Faculty of Administration of the Catholic Pontifical University of Ecuador has worked with the Foundation on the preparation of a strategic plan for the next two years. The plan will structure the work around clear and specific long-term objectives.