27-06-2018
Mexico City, June 27th, 2018.- The Vidanta Foundation - a non-profit organization that promotes social sciences and culture in Latin America - with the collaboration of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), calls for the submission of entries for the IX edition of the Vidanta Foundation Award: "Contributions to the reduction of poverty and inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean".
The deadline for the reception of candidacies will be next July 31st and all non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private assistance institutions, foundations, Afro-descendant and indigenous groups, civil associations and non-profit organizations that carry out their work in Latin America or the Caribbean may participate.
andidates will be evaluated according to the work, considering the criteria published in the Vidanta Foundation Award guidelines innovationor implementation easurable results impact, the ability to continue over time replicat, environmental sustainability. www.fundacionvidanta.org
The prizes, bythe Vidanta Foundation:
In the eight successful editions of the Award, hundreds of candidates were evaluated and more than 1.75 million dollars were invested to reward 26 projects in several countries of the region. The Mexican organizations that were awarded in previous editions are: Cinco Panes y Dos Peces A.C., Desarrollo Autogestionario A.C., Dignidad y Justicia en el Camino A.C., IDEAS Información y Diseños Educativos para Acciones Saludables, IXIM A.C., Joven es Yucatán y Unidos por la Montaña A.C.
The jury of the award will be chaired by the former president of Uruguay, Julio María Sanguinetti and will be composed by the following personalities: Rolando Cordera, Guadalupe González, Nora Lustig and José Luis Machinea. The jury will issue its ruling on September 7th, 2018 and the awards will be granted on October 15th of this year in Mexico City.
"The Vidanta Foundation Award has positioned itself as the most important in Latin America and the Caribbean in recognizing and supporting the work of civil society associations that every day make extraordinary efforts in both regions with the noble purpose of reducing poverty, inequality and combating discrimination, "said Dr. Roberto Russell, President of the Vidanta Foundation.
The Vidanta Foundation Award was created in 2009 and aims to recognize and support outstanding and original works carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce poverty, inequality and combat discriminationSome of the organizations that have obtained this prestigious award include:
• First place in 2017: Cinco Panes y Dos Peces A.C
Mexican organization that seeks to reduce risk and vulnerability conditions in the event of disasters or medical and humanitarian emergencies of communities that live in mountainous areas, highly isolated and marginalized in five states of Mexico (Chiapas, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz). Established in 1992, the project has made it possible to improve the response, subsistence and activation capacities of community processes in 657 communities. Through the project, Enlaza México established a radio communication network that allows t overcome barriers of illiteracyand facilitates sending-receiving of early alerts. It has also enabled the development of hazard maps, the identification maximum risk and the training of more than 2000 community leaders and 290 brigade committees to increase the response capacity of the communities before possible disasters.
• Third place in 2016: Joven es Yucatán.
In 2004, the Youth Foundation of Yucatán began the ecological-environmental and economic-cultural project called "Mayan Designs of Yucatan" with the objective of making sustainable use of the fruits of native trees in danger of extinction. It empowers people in terms of the use that can be given to these fruit through craft workshops and crafts with jícaras, lek and gourds to take advantage of the fruits of these trees. To date it has directly benefited more than 3,000 people and indirectly 8,850 people in Mayan communities 14 groups of artisans have been formed who sell handicrafts and planted more than 3,500 trees.
• First place in 2015: Asociación Civil Tiflonexos, Argentina
The Tiflonexos Civil Association, through its Tiflolibros program, has formed the first digital library for the Spanish-speaking blind. 7,500 people 300 institutions that work have direct access to this library that has more than 50,000 books. The experience of Tiflolibros led to the approval of the Argentine Congress in 2007 by Law 26285, which established exceptions to copyright to favor the production of accessible books.
For more information on the IX edition of the Vidanta Foundation Prize, please visit www.fundacionvidanta.org