Project to Recover and Maintainan the Ecological Park San Francisco
"A space for life and culture"

The Ecological Park San Francisco located in Santo Domingo de los Colorados was constructed by the Diocese of the City in 1991, in order to have a space where the citizens can enjoy a place for the good use of free time, relaxation and contact with native plants.

Unfortunately, although it is a public good and accessible for all the citizens, the local government has not taken its responsibilities in taking care of the park, leaving the obligation of its handling in hands of the Diocese and afterwards the ACJ-YMCA.

The ACJ-YMCA has assumed this task since 1997, when, in agreement with the Diocese, it built the YMCA’s facilities where community programs in benefit of the poorest sectors of the city are implemented.

The YMCA ACJ programs executed in this premises are:
- Administrative offices of a children’s program that takes care of more than 800 boys and girls of urban and marginal zones.
- A room of qualification for the service of families, young people, adolescents, that in addition is used by other institutions for debates, forums, encounter, etc.
- A micro credit program for micro enterprenneurs and educational needs of families in Santo Domingo.

From 1997 the ACJ implemented a project of recovery of the Ecological Park through a cultural, recreational proposal and of use of the free time for young people, children and families.

This project was financed by the Embassy of the Netherlands and served to recover an abandoned area space and to offer the city an ecological space and a space of recreation.

From 1997 the ACJ has developed direct actions to improve the quality of life of youth and the children through qualification activities, campaigns, activities with ecological clubs, artistic festivals for the rights, among other actions.

Hundreds of foreign voluntary friends from different countries have visited us and we have developed joint operations in benefit of the community of Santo Domingo.

The ACJ-YMCA has not had enough resources to take care of and maintain the park in the last four years, and for this reason the Park requires support.

At the moment the ACJ is putting pressure on several sectors in the city so that they maintain the park because there is a risk of cancellation of the Agreement and we might loose the YMCA-ACJ venue that was built with the effort of its volunteers, and that has provided great benefits to the community.

THE PROJECT

Justification

If the ACJ-YMCA would have to leave the Ecological Park San Francisco, it would be the end of the Park, since the local government does not want to invest in this space and rather wants to give it another use, as selling it for a housing program to benefit the political supporters of the local authority, or just to abandon the part totally, which would make it a garbage dump or a zone for criminal activities.

This is why we raised the possibility of developing a permanent campaign so that national and foreign volunteers who have put their work in this park can sponsor this ecological area and can contribute economically to its maintenance.

Objective

To guarantee the local and international suitable and permanent handling of the Park through a network of sponsors by monthly or annual contributions for the maintenance of the park.

The support can be as follows:

For foreign sponsors

- Monthly solidarity Bonus of 5, 10, 15, or 20 US dollars a month.
- Annual Bonus of 60, 80, 100 or 120 US dollars a year.

We will create a virtual network with the local and foreign volunteers in order to inform about the state of the park, the contributions and the expenses made.

For local sponsors

- 4 hours of monthly work in cleaning and gardening.

These resources will be administratively approved by the corresponding levels of the ACJ-YMCA Ecuador and photographic information of monthly, quarterly and annual progress will be issued to all the contributors.

The economic resources will be used for:

• Reforestation
• Redesign of paths
• Implementation of an area for children for recreation and games.
• Space for the development of artistic and cultural activities
• Location of posters with the names of the main species
• Readjustment of spaces for the family
• Area of medical plants

ANNUAL BUDGET

Activities	Required Resources	Contributions Godfathers	YMCA Ecuador Contributions Local contributions
Full time gardener to recover Park   250x12 meses	3000	3000
Buy plants and park reforestation.	1200	600	600
Buy and install garbage bins, benches	600	300	300
Buy materials for park maintainance (Brooms, saws, scissors, wires)	600	600
Signs for park.	500	500
Watering system for park	500	500
Build recreation games for children	1000	1000
Build recreation spaces for youth (open theatre, reading spaces)	1000	1000
"Mingas" (collective work) to maintain Park	3000		3000
TOTAL	11400	7500	3900