FCDI Informe Trimestral (Enero - Marzo 2011)

The program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by ACDI/VOCA Bolivia. During the second trimester of 2011, the FCDI reported a total of 688 projects in its portfolio, including 410 projects of community development and 278 projects of economic development. Twenty-three new projects were added to the portfolio during the trimester, all of which belong to the community development component. The FCDI has made significant progress in implementing projects in the Yungas region. In the community development component, a total of 209 women received medical attention as part of a campaign to prevent and detect cervical cancer in the municipalities of Palos Blancos and Yanacachi. Additionally, 43 men were screened for prostate cancer. The medical team from the health centers and hospitals in the municipalities of Palos Blancos and Yanacachi were trained in the techniques used during the campaign, enabling them to extend this life-saving medical attention to patients in the region. In the education sub-component, a project to build housing for teachers was completed in the district of La Cascada in the municipality of Palos Blancos. The complex consists of 16 housing units for teachers and provides the necessary services for the 16 teachers and their families. Each housing unit includes a bedroom and a kitchen, as well as sanitation services. By providing permanent housing for the teachers, these new living spaces will help ensure the continuity of classes for the children of La Cascada throughout the school year. In the economic development component, the FCDI provided complementary equipment to three citrus processing plants in the municipalities of Palos Blancos and Alto Beni. These plants have already begun post-harvest processing of citrus fruits, primarily oranges. The plants are producing concentrated citrus juices and other products for local markets. The owners of the citrus processing plants expect that, over time, their products will eventually reach the markets of the city of La Paz. The FCDI has also coordinated with all the municipalities of the Yungas to evaluate the conditions and needs of approximately 350 primary and secondary schools in the region. Prior to this evaluation, neither the district directors of education, representing the Departmental Service of Education (SEDUCA), nor the municipal governments of the region had concrete data on the conditions of their educational units, nor an inventory of fixed assets and other materials available to students. Thanks to this general evaluation, each municipality and SEDUCA now have an updated inventory of the materials available in each educational unit. During the next trimester, the FCDI staff will meet with the competent authorities of each municipality to decide which educational units are most in need of new furniture and educational materials, as part of the recently approved projects for the provision of school furniture and educational materials.