Food Safety Project and
Aqueduct to be Developed in La Cruz
(InfoWebPress) – The canton of La Cruz will benefit from a project
that will provide food safety to families that have children younger
than seven years old. This initiative includes improvements to the
Cuajiniquil aqueduct, which will supply drinking water to these
families.
Groundbreaking for work on the aqueduct already took place.
Representing an investment of $125,469, the project will be
completed thanks to economic support from the Cuajiniquil of La Cruz
Development Association and the Cuajiniquil Aqueduct Administrative
Association.
The goal of the aqueduct project is to satisfy basic potable water
needs of the 1,806 inhabitants of this northern Guanacaste
community, in an effort to reduce sanitary risks from water
pollution as well as the proliferation of vectors and
gastrointestinal diseases that affect small children and older
adults.
Also sought is the development of the area’s tourism industry so
that the population here can have access to new jobs.
In terms of the food security program, those benefiting are the
residents of Santa Elena and Santa Cecilia districts. Expected
outcome of these efforts include improvement of children’s learning
and integral development, the reduction of disease and malnutrition
rates, the lowering of healthcare costs, and a more balanced diet
for residents that includes protein, minerals, vitamins and
carbohydrates.
The initiative will be financed with funds from the Program for
Development of Central American Border Regions (ZONAF), sponsored by
the European Union and the Central American Economic Integration
Bank (BCIE), and various development associations from northern
Guanacaste.
ZONAF was created in 2004 by BCIE and the European Union with the
goal of contributing to the quality of life of populations living on
border municipalities of the isthmus, through actions aimed at
reducing poverty and improving the communities’ organization and
social participation capabilities.
ZONAF is also involved in a regional program that manages
multinational watersheds, which aims to improve the amount and
quality of water present in watersheds shared by different
countries. La Cruz is one of the regions to benefit from this
initiative.
Currently, it is estimated that efforts conducted by this program
benefit 1.3 million people in 57 municipalities of Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
In addition to the project in La Cruz, similar ones are underway in
the border communities of Pavon and Los Chiles. Meanwhile, in
neighboring Upala, projects are being implemented to boost the
availability and quality of food by creating 100 family farms. Some
500 sanitary units are also being built, aimed at reducing
contamination due to the inadequate disposal of waste in these
communities. |
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