Funds available for quake victims; Azuay and Cañar Provinces are leaders in overseas remittances; Nuns open museum and gardens in Todo Santos

Lunes, 27/3/2023

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

De El Mercurio del sábado, 25/3:
Las Oblatas abren su museo y huerto (The Oblates open their museum and orchard) – After 2 years of preparation and work, the Oblatas Sisters of Cuenca opened their first museum in the Todo Santos complex. The items displayed in this first exhibit have to do with the consecration in Ecuador to the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús; the first country in the world to consegrate this special form of devotion to Jesus. The order has also opened their orchards and gardens that run down to the Tomebamba as a space for reflection, meditation and prayer. <And picnics?> In abril, there are plans to open a restaurant and bakery. <They used to have both – maybe shut down during the pandemic?>

The Oblatas Sisters of Cuenca opened their first museum in the Todo Santos complex. The items displayed in this first exhibit repersent the consecration in Ecuador to the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús; the first country in the world to consegrate this special form of devotion to Jesus.

Hours are martes a sábado from 8-16:00. To see the whole complex there is a guided package for $5.00. To visit the church and orchard costs $3.00, and for just the museum, admission is $2.00.

Titular –

Cañar, provincia con más remesas (Cañar, province with the highest remittances) – From 2014 to 2022, remittances have increased 70% from $2.604 billion to $4.468 billion. This amount is the equivalent of each of the 18 million <Did you notice I snuck the population of the country in for your edification?> Ecuadorians receiving $246 a year. In 2021, 93% of this money has benefitted 10 provinces with the leaders being Guayas (27.2%), Azuay (22.4%), Pichincha (17.4), Cañar (8%), and Tungurahua (3.8%).

The per person average is highest in Cañar at $1,218. This money reduces poverty since with an increase of 1% in remittances, the national poverty index falls 0.4%. An economics expert said that remittances represent up to 60% of the economy in some cantons in Cañar. Remittances are also counter-cyclical so as the Ecuadorian economy falls, remittances go up as migrants feel their families need more support.

Cuenca –

A dos bonos pueden acceder damnificados (Two vouchers are available to the victims) – A week after the earthquake, authorities are conducting damage surveys. So far, in Azuayan cantons, 21 collapsed houses and 52 affected structures have been identified. The Servicio Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos y Emergencias (SNGRE – National Risk and Emergency Management Service) said Cuenca and Santa Isabel were the cantons with the most problems with 5 houses that collapsed in Cuenca, and 10 in Santa Isabel. The MIES and MIDUVI, ministries of social and economic inclusion and of urban development and housing, are giving contingency and rent bonuses to victims as well as kits with food for 15 days, a set of dishes, mattresses, sheets and covers, and drums of water. The one time MIES bono is from $125 to $450 depending on the vulnerability of the victim. The $675 MIDUVI bono is to cover 3 months rent and can be extended for another 6 months. <I don’t think $675 would even get you a parking space in a med/lg. US city even if the city didn’t tow your air mattress and sleeping bag away.>

There are also funds to repair damaged houses. The conditions of the houses are rated green for light damage, yellow for partial collapses or where the structure is still sound, and red is for total collapses where the house is uninhabitable due to structural damage. Repair funds are up to $14,400 for yellow tagged houses, and up to $28,800 for red tagged houses. If you were affected, you don’t have to do anything – SNGRE will send the data to MIES and MIDUVI which will arrange to get the money to you. <I’m not sure I believe that there won’t be a lot of paperwork involved.> En principio (in theory?) bonos will be going to the 53 families in Azuay with red tagged houses this week. There are another 52 yellow tagged houses and isolated communities that haven’t been surveyed yet, so the numbers will go up.

Region –

Derrrumbes afectan a 3 vías del Azuay (Landslides affect 3 Azuayan roads) – Over the weekend, landslides affected the vías Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje, Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme, and the road to the eastern cantons. On the vía Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje, there were slides in various areas last sábado, especially the stretch through Girón with alerts on social media about cars trapped in the Leocapac sector.

There were new slides on the vía Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme <Seems like the only time there aren’t new slides on that road is when the rain stops and fire season starts.> especially between km. 50-105. An MTOP spokesman said that one lane has been cleared in those slide zones and the machinery is continuing to clean the road. There was falling material on the roads to the eastern cantons near the La Josefina bridge and MTOP is working on opening a bypass. <Better change your beach vacation plans to Máncora, Perú.>

Descuentos y compras –

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne