Over 300,000 people are reaping the benefits of Sowing Gas

The results - which reflect a joint effort by CAF - Latin American development bank - private organizations grouped in the Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEDES Bolivia) and German cooperation GTZ - were presented to representatives of beneficiaries and officials of the state oil company YPFB and some of the participating municipalities during a workshop held in CAF facilities.

"The aim of the program is to improve the welfare of people using the country's own natural resources - in this case natural gas - and show that the synergy between international cooperation, private enterprise and the public sector leads to good results in favor of the disadvantaged sectors of the population," CAF director-representative in Bolivia, Emilio Uquillas, said. CAF supports Sowing Gas with non-reimbursable cooperation funds.

CEDES President Juan Carlos Requena highlighted the involvement of neighborhood and school boards which provided local manpower to connect and extend the gas networks. He said there was consensus about the continuity of Sowing Gas due to the widespread benefits stemming from its execution.

Results

Project coordinator Gonzalo Lima said Sowing Gas had executed an investment of US$2 million, including civil works and purchase of measuring instruments (regulators and meters for gas consumption) and equipment such as cookers, stoves and water heaters for showers. In the six cities involved, 304 educational institutions, 25 health centers and 22 special centers - including canteens, orphanages and shelters - had benefitted.

Considering that in many cases the same infrastructure was used for three shifts: morning, afternoon and evening, the full extent of the program was multiplied to cover students, teachers and parents in 507 educational units, Lima added.

By connecting these social infrastructure centers to natural gas supply networks, the cost of energy provision has been cut by 71% eliminating the large number of LPG cylinders which were used. These institutions now have a continuous and reliable service and their consumption is covered by the respective municipalities.

The state education institutions included in the project use natural gas as fuel for food preparation - especially school breakfast - technical and vocational courses, heating of classrooms, and hot water in the school showers.

The Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEDES-Bolivia) is a nonprofit foundation formed by Bolivian companies involved in the most competitive activities in the country, committed to sustainable development and national and international presence, its vision is to contribute to a decent life for Bolivians by creating economic opportunities for alleviating poverty.