Dear Friends,

I’m writing with our quarterly update on the Cofán project.  Good news – we sent the last of our $20,000 commitment for 2024 to the Cofán Survival Fund a couple of weeks ago!  Thank you so very much for your donations that enabled us to do this.  Now on to year 4 of supporting the Seguro Campesino healthcare initiative

We held a Thank You event earlier this month.  We enjoyed getting together with folks and sharing what we know in person.  Thanks to Sheila and Phil for hosting. Next time we’ll make sure to choose the date avoiding basketball/football games!

We are planning our next visit to Ecuador in October – preferably in late October.  Dorinda and Chris Rife and Deborah Novgorodoff will be going, and hopefully others can join.  The main purpose of the trip is to begin the vision screening.  Thanks to Rick McChane and to Dorinda’s long career in Vision, we have several leads of how to proceed with this project.  Stay tuned for details.  Hopefully, by the next update, we will have some of this ironed out.  And let us know if you think you might be able to join us!

Carlos (the healthcare navigator) has given us a recent update.  A few highlights –

• They are planning two “brigades,” or healthcare clinics, to Zabalo – the community we have visited twice. These will focus on dentistry and pediatrics and on cataract care.  I’m not sure whether this is for cataract screening or follow-up for those who have had cataract surgery.  Cataracts is a problem for the Cofán – men and women in their 50’s develop them because of exposure to the intense sun. The cataract surgery we’ve provided is life-changing for the men and women who have had it.
• They are working on treating skin problems and bacterial infections in children due to contaminated water in Chandia Nae. This is the remote community that we visited a year ago.  We are wondering if anyone has connections with someone at Water Step or at the Rotary Club.  We might be able to help them through such contacts.
• Finally, providing a vehicle for Carlos to get around to the Cofán communities would be an enormous help. Any suggestions of an organization or a corporation that might help here?

Thanks again.  Stay in touch with any questions!

 

Best, Deborah Novgorodoff (for All Peoples International Justice Committee)