Economic empowerment of 51 families in Medellin

La Comuna 8 is home to over 135,000 people who face daily challenges to find formalized work and break the cycle of poverty. Aside from experiencing unacceptably high rates of violence, crime, and gang-related activity, Comuna 8 suffers:

1. Acute levels of unemployment - with 69% of the population reporting to have no income, and 26% of those with jobs which earn below minimum wage
2. High levels of displaced people - 11% of Medellin’s displaced population resides in Comuna 8

We at E2E believe that it is often those simple, human touches that can inspire change and empower communities. For this reason, we have been committed to our ‘Huertas Urbanas’ project which involves the construction of urban gardens as a community-led solution to violence and poverty.

With the completion of each garden, at-risk communities are able to actively generate additional sources of income that will enable them to break out of the cycle of poverty. We link these communities with local entrepreneur, Pedro Fernández (Founder of The Chef is Back!) who now purchases the produce form the huertas at a fixed and fair price, thus generating a positive cash flow that does not require further investment following the initial donation. Furthermore, studies show that for communities that suffer from violence and a lack of peaceful coexistence greatly benefit from productive activities outdoors such as gardening, otherwise known as “ecotherapy”—a powerful tool to generate cooperation and meaningful work in areas that have historically suffered from local violence and poverty.

This project will be linked to two other E2E projects: Recuperando Vida, and Indicators for Peace. As donors or potential donors, your support is vital in ensuring that we continue the progress we are making with this grassroots yet immensely ambitious project. 

Many thanks from the E2E team! 

Links:

• http://fundacione2e.org/en_US/