Parque Calderon fund raiser nets almost $60,000 for the poor; thousands turn out for music, dance and educational displays

A campaign to raise money for Cuenca’s homeless and poor families netted almost $60,000 on Saturday. The effort was centered in Parque Calderon where thousands turned out for a variety of events and public displays. More money was raised through a telethon sponsored by city artists.

A volunteer collects donations Saturday at Parque Calderon. Photo credit: El Tiempo

Cuenca councilman Cristian Zamora said the money collected will help the city continue to reduce the level of extreme poverty. “Today’s collection shows the compassion of the citizens of Cuenca,” he said. “This will be matched by millions of dollars allocated by the municipality for several projects that assist the poor.”

Zamora said that Cuenca leads Ecuador in poverty reduction. “Today, we have the lowest rate of poverty in Ecuador and we will continue to work to improve even more conditions for our most vulnerable citizens.”

Saturday displays and activities in the park included displays manned by city employees presenting projects ranging from new parks to the campaign to get drunks off the road. There was a model tranvía train and face-painting for children.

During the day, a number of music and dance groups performed on a stage on Calle Mariscal Sucre.