Social and economic effects of Covid-19 in Mexico will be attendend through the Active Communities Fund

Social and economic effects of Covid-19 in Mexico will be attendend through the Active Communities Fund

In order to promote the economic and social reactivation of the country to address the effects of the crisis caused by Covid-19 in Mexico, Comunalia and the Coca-Cola Foundation launched the Active Communities Fund through which more than $32 million Mexican pesos will be invested in 14 states of the country.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the actions that both community foundations and civil organizations are implementing on issues of access to water, humanitarian aid, support for small businesses, and the advancement of youth and women, in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Jalisco, Querétaro, Puebla, Morelos, Yucatan, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo and Estado de México.

The epidemiological crisis has caused the abrupt fall in local consumption, hitting the economy, and especially the populations which live hand-to-mouth in both urban and rural areas. Although organized civil society has continued to serve the most vulnerable populations, efforts will be insufficient once the period of confinement ends. 

According to the UK National Disaster Relief Fund, for each day of immediate support, at least 10 days of work are required for the medium-term recovery of the local economy, and 100 days for the long-term recovery, hence the focus of this collaborative initiative between Comunalia and Coca-Cola Foundation. 

This project starts at the local level from a process of identification of the needs for greater financing and strengthening of initiatives operated by community foundations, local civil society organizations and grassroots groups that support the construction of resilience processes. 

“Among the strengths of Community Foundations, their role as network-builders, and their ease for establishing alliances with different actors for the construction of local solutions the regeneration, and the stability of their communities stand out. Furthermore, the collaboration with the Coca-Cola Foundation is an opportunity to strengthen them at this critical moment, «said Agustín Landa, president of Comunalia. 

The organizations that are participating and will issue the calls for projects at their localities starting July 6th are: Fundación Comunidad, Fundación Comunitaria de la Frontera Norte, Fundación del Empresariado Yucateco (FEYAC), Fundación Merced Coahuila, Corporativa de Fundaciones, Fundación Cozumel, Fundación Merced Querétaro, Fundación del Empresariado Chihuahuense (FECHAC), Fundación Comunitaria Malinalco, Fundación Punta de Mita, Fundación Comunitaria Oaxaca, Fundación Comunitaria Puebla, Fundación Comunidar, Fundación del Empresariado Sonorense (FESAC), and Fundación Internacional de la Comunidad. 

The programs and projects to be benefited by the Active Communities Fund will be announced this coming August 15, and they will run until March 2021, according to the rules of Comunalia and the Coca-Cola Foundation. 

About Comunalia:
Comunalia is the Alliance of Community Foundations of Mexico, with eight years of experience, a focus on local development and strategic social investment. It is aimed at promoting the collective work of the country’s community foundations to achieve greater scope, impact and significance in their programs. It seeks to strengthen citizen power, influence public policies, develop leadership, and replicate and consolidate the Mexican model of community foundations. 

About Coca-Cola Foundation
Coca-Cola Foundation mission is to contribute to sustainable development (social, economic and environmental) in communities in Mexico through the generation of shared value alliances.

Photo credit: Comunalia