DCF Activities November 2024

Dear friends of DCF, September was a testing month for all of Ecuador, with wildfires ravaging several areas, including the city of Quito and surrounding areas. Pifo was no exception. But it was in this adversity that we saw the true strength of our community. The inhabitants of Pifo did not wait; men, women and youth formed human chains to pass down buckets of water to fight the fire and help those who needed it most. Through solidarity and collective work, Pifo shone amid adversity.

In this newsletter, we would like to highlight the progress of several projects that reflect this same sense of community: the opening of our new home in the community centre “Somos Pifo” (We are Pifo), leadership workshops, the development of the School Support Centre, the fight against violence for our youth and the economic and social empowerment of women through Pakakuna, a tourism enterprise developed by and for women in Pifo.

Together we continue to build a better future for everyone.

We've moved!

The community centre “Somos Pifo” has moved to its new headquarters in the church of Pifo, in the heart of the central park. This change was made possible with the support of Father Raúl González and carried out at the initiative of the inhabitants of Pifo.

This is an important achievement, as we are now an active part of community life. In addition, the community will coordinate its efforts from the Mushuk Maki Cultural Centre, allowing us to devote more resources to other projects.

Leadership Workshops: Strengthening the Capacities of Our Community

With 18 participants, the Leadership Workshops started on September 28 and will run until December 14, 2024. These workshops were organized with the support of Redni, the Rights Protection Council and DCF, among others. They were designed based on the needs expressed by the community. Some of the topics covered include effective communication, comprehensive child protection, conflict resolution and first aid. This initiative aims to provide participants with useful tools to improve coexistence and leadership in their community.

CAE, a space for growth

The School Support Centre (CAE) of Pifo, in collaboration with DCF, developed a proposal, which was approved by the children and their representatives. The proposal was made by the pastor and volunteers. This includes a monthly activity plan and the involvement of children in tasks such as serving food and cleaning, which were previously only done by volunteers. A great achievement was the creation of an "Internal Security Route", which organizes actions to protect children with the cooperation of the community.

For a youth without violence

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the authorities and teachers of the Eduardo Salazar Gómez Secondary School, a pilot plan has been created called the “Technical Support Plan for Violence Prevention”, which aims to prevent violence against girls, boys and adolescents. It is based on joint work to address problems such as crime, gangs, drug sales and teenage pregnancy. Objectives include creating safe spaces for dialogue and developing virtual tools and workshops on mental health and violence prevention. The plan also involves parents in defining the main themes for the next school year.

Pakakuna , tourism that strengthens Pifo

Pakakuna, the community tourism project, has been a successful project for Pifo both socially and economically. This year, it represented the community on World Day Against the Trafficking of Persons (July 30), where the Violence Prevention Plan, developed together with the community, was presented.The female leaders of the community have strengthened their organization and received training in rural tourism, making Pakakuna an economic option for many families. In addition, they participated in the meeting organized by the city council to secure the budget to continue this valuable project.

Wilde Ganzen and DCF

For the funding of our programs in 2025, weare still missing 30,000 euros. For every euro you donate, Wilde Ganzen donates another 50 cents. This means that if we receive 20,000 euros, Wilde Ganzen donates another 10,000 euros. This would bring us to a total of 30,000 euros, which we still need to provide continuity for all activities and initiatives of the Community Project Pifo.

Thank you very much!!!

We would especially like to thank the entire Pifo community, authorities, institutions involved and volunteers for their dedication and continuous commitment. Thanks to their collaboration, we have been able to make progress in building a safer, more inclusive space for the children and their families.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for continuing to make it possible for our projects to have a real impact! We move forward, convinced that the cooperation of all of us is the key to achieving great things.

Until next time!

Warm regards,

The DCF team

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How to support the work of DCF?

If you would like to participate and be part of our Community Project in Pifo, please transfer to our account number. Thank you in advance!

You can help us with a payment via:

IBAN: NL23ABNA0621779652

Daniëlle Children’s Fund

Noordwijk

BIC: ABNANL2A