SAVE THE COFAN, SAVE THE RAIN FOREST!
Cofan@allpeoplesuu.com
Hello Cofán Supporters!
I am writing to update you on the Cofán effort – to share good news!
The Cofán Survival Fundacion team in Quito has signed up 72 Cofán families for the Seguro Campesino healthcare initiative. That’s tremendous – and as Cofán members discover that the program actually works, there is more and more interest in being a part of it! The staff member (Carlos) who is serving as the go-between for the Cofán and the Ecuadorean bureaucracy has proven critical to the effort. Without this “healthcare navigator,” the Cofán people would not be able to deal with the enrollment process or figure out how to get the care they need!
Several months ago, a team of medical professionals traveled to Zabalo (where our group visited in October) to do a wellness visit for those who live in this community. More recently, several of the Zabalo residents traveled to the Lago Agrio hospital for more in-depth check-ups on issues identified during the Zabalo visit and for treatment. One elder with a knee problem can walk again with the help of anti-inflammatories, although long-term she will need knee replacement. They also discovered that she has early Diabetes, and so the timing for these medical visits was fortuitous for her. Two have had successful eye surgery, and one is scheduled for surgery on kidney stone complications on June 1. To remind you – our contributions go toward Carlos’s salary, and enrolling people in the Ecuadorean government run program. All of the costs of surgery are paid for by the Seguro Campesino healthcare program! What an incredible return on investment!!
Here at home, we need to ramp up our fundraising efforts. Thanks to you, we have sent the CSF $4,000. This will enable them to begin to enroll some families for a second year. We are hoping to raise considerably more than this to cover the 72 enrolled families. To that end, we will have a fundraiser/dinner on June 10 at All Peoples. Please join us and bring your friends and family!
The Cofán website is Cofan.org if you want to see more information. The work they are doing to try to hold onto their indigenous culture while striving to be in the 21st Century is truly remarkable. Layer that onto their efforts to ward off encroachments into their land from big oil and gold miners, this is an amazing group of people. We are proud that we are stepping in to help provide them a basic right – access to healthcare.
Your contribution is very likely a life-giving contribution to a family trying to survive while protecting their culture and their home in the rain fores
With deep gratitude,
The International Justice Committee