The Daughters of Charity have been present for 31 years in the canton of San Lorenzo in the northwest of Ecuador and are very involved in the administration of the "Divina Providencia" Hospital which, because of its proximity to the port, welcomes the local population and people displaced by border conflicts.

They are therefore particularly aware of the risk of the spread of covid-19 in families in situations of extreme poverty.

The municipality of San Lorenzo is multicultural, with 77% of the population belonging to the Afro-Ecuadorian Chachis and Awa ethnic groups.

The majority are employed in the palm plantations where too often employers do not respect the legislation on working hours and wages. Nearly 85% of the population lives in poverty, which has worsened over the last 10 years. The explosion of the urban area has not been accompanied by the necessary infrastructure: only 36% have access to drinking water. 11% of the population over the age of 15 is illiterate. The majority of the population is Catholic, but a growing number of sects is a divisive factor in families.

As health problems caused by poverty and violence are on the increase, the Daughters of Charity have for the past 3 years initiated a programme for the prevention of gender-based violence and human trafficking.

To help this vulnerable population, they have set up prevention programs through various workshops:

• Raising awareness against gender-based violence and human trafficking among young people and adults in poor neighbourhoods.
• Empowerment and development of entrepreneurial skills (99 per cent women)
• Promotion of a culture of peace in schools among teachers and students
• Care for victims in partnership with state organisations and NGOs
• Advocacy with local and central governments for the implementation of public policies aimed at improving the living conditions of the population

The project: preventing the risks of a pandemic among those who do not have access to hygiene

Ecuador is one of the Latin American countries with the highest number of infected people and the highest percentage of deaths, as reported in several media.

San Lorenzo is one of the poorest municipalities in the country. A significant number of families suffer from malnutrition and the population has not developed habits of personal hygiene or maintenance of their homes: fundamental aspects to prevent diseases. Overcrowded conditions are aggravated by a great lack of access to drinking water, sanitary facilities or cleaning products: additional risk factors in the event of the virus spreading, which cannot be met by the already deficient health services in the country.

A large majority of the population of San Lorenzo, mainly families living in poverty, cannot conform to social isolation because they lack the necessary material conditions or health education. If the spread of the virus progresses in this canton, there will be catastrophic consequences, even greater than those experienced in other cities in the country.

These families are not able to comply with social isolation and curfews because they have to earn a living on a daily basis and provide for their subsistence. Local authorities and social organizations also lack sufficient resources to help this population in extreme poverty to comply with the containment measures.

The project carried out by Sr Sabina and her community aims to quickly help these people, who are more vulnerable than others, to respect social and hygiene measures to protect themselves from the risks of the coronavirus.

The beneficiaries are 130 families living in extreme poverty, with whom we have worked directly or indirectly with the project for the Prevention of Gender Violence and Human Trafficking in the most marginalized areas of San Lorenzo.

For less than 40€, each family will receive cleaning materials, personal care and food, complemented by hygiene training to encourage them to respect the measures of isolation.

Steps

As this project aims to respond quickly to the health emergency, the Daughters of Charity hope to achieve this goal within a month with the means outlined below:

• Development of health education messages in coordination with local stakeholders and non-governmental organizations.
• Dissemination of health education messages through social networks and local media
• Direct interventions in neighbourhoods with the support of the national police, the armed forces and municipal services personnel
• Follow-up and analysis, as far as possible, of their implementation with families
• Coordination with supply stores that can provide food and cleaning materials and are able to issue invoices

The funds raised through the Rosalie Projects will be used to purchase non-perishable food items such as rice, lentils or chickpeas or beans, tuna, salt, oil; and cleaning products such as soaps, hydro-alcoholic gel and masks to meet the needs of 130 families for 15 days.

The local community of the Daughters of Charity of San Lorenzo will lead the project. They will work in coordination with the technical personnel of other local non-governmental organizations, as well as with technicians from the municipal government of San Lorenzo. The organizations' technicians will, among other things, provide support in locating families who, due to lack of telephone access, cannot be contacted other than through field visits.

The Daughters of Charity of Ecuador thank you from the bottom of their hearts for all the help that will enable them to fight against these inequalities in the face of the pandemic.

With them, thanks to you !