ENEL CUORE ONLUS AND THE COMMUNITY OF SAN MIGUEL CALAHUACHÉ INAUGURATE NEW COMPLEX AT RURAL SCHOOL

Calahuaché Village (Quetzaltenango), April 8th, 2011 - Today, Enel Cuore Onlus and the San Miguel Calahuaché Community inaugurated the first section of a new complex at the mixed comprehensive rural school of Calahuaché. Built on land managed by the Community Development Council (COCODE), the school was funded by Enel Cuore Onlus, the non-profit organization of the Enel Group.

The first section of the new school complex spreads over an area of more than 500 square meters. The new section hosts six classrooms, two restrooms as well as a front hall with a reinforced concrete terrace. Construction of this section began in July 2010 and was completed in March 2011. Within this process, Enel Green Power, the Enel Group’s renewables company, supported Enel Cuore and the Community  in the development, recruitment and supervision of the project.

The second section of the new complex will host six classrooms, two restrooms, a principal’s office, a dining room and a multipurpose area.

The Calahuaché rural school was founded in the 1970s, had four classrooms and offered education to 100 students. As student population grew over time, reaching as many as today’s 1,000 pupils, students were forces to take classes in informal spaces such as hallways and common areas.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Oswald Smith (Head of Enel Green Power in Guatemala), Alain Wormser (in representation of Enel Cuore Onlus), Dyna Maria Escobar Flores (Mayor of the Municipality El Palmar), Celestino Benjamin Ixcoy Sontay (President of the Calahuaché Community Development Council) and Luciano Nohemías Colop Haz (Director of the Calahuaché mixed comprehensive rural school). The inauguration ceremony was also attended by representatives from the Italian Embassy in Guatemala, the National Commission of Electric Power, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Education, the National Electrification Body (INDE), and the National Association of Generators.
 
"This is a very important event for Enel Cuore Onlus, Enel Green Power and all stakeholders of the Calahuaché community.” Commented Oswald Smith, Head of Enel Green Power in Guatemala. ”Together with Enel Cuore and the Community we managed to complete this project in only 10 months. By working as a team we had the opportunity to share the commitment of all those who want to improve the conditions of education for the children of this village.”.
 
"People are happy, grateful to God, to Enel Cuore Onlus and Enel Green Power, for having a project of this kind because it is historic for this community. It is a project which ensures a better future for our children and is another example of how the Enel Green Power hydro plant has always actively supported us," stated Mr. Celestino Sontay, President of the Calahuaché Community Development Council.

This is the second Enel Cuore Onlus project in the Department of Quetzaltenango. In 2007, Enel Cuore Onlus supported for three years the setting up and operation of the Technical Education Center in Zunil, which is aimed at providing technical training to young people post-primary education, as well as creating employment opportunities in the areas of mechanics, electrical engineering, accounting and agricultural technology.
 
Enel Cuore Onlus is also funding 70% of the construction of a school in the community of Ojo de Agua (Municipality San Juan Cotzal, Department of Quiché).
 
During April 2011, Enel Cuore Onlus will significantly contribute to the construction of 150 houses in the Department of Baja Verapaz, a project jointly implemented with NGO Un Techo Para Mi País.
 
Enel Cuore Onlus already has also sponsored the improvement of the architectural and structural design of the administrative offices, the cellars, pastry and bakery workshops, the infirmary, psychologist offices and the kitchen of the House of Friendship (Casa de la Amistad) in association with the Movement of Young People of the Street (MOJOCA) headquartered in downtown,  Guatemala City. MOJOCA is aimed at helping Guatemalan youth living on the streets in extreme poverty.
 

San Miguel Calahuaché
 
Calahuaché is a village located in the Municipality of El Palmar, which has some 23,000 inhabitants. The village has a population of 2,775 people and is mainly dedicated to agriculture, more specifically to the cultivation of coffee. 
 
Enel Cuore Onlus
 
Enel Cuore is a non-profit organization established by Enel in 2003. It pursues social solidarity initiatives in Italy and abroad. Enel Cuore gives concrete, targeted and tangible support alongside other associations, NGOs, institutions and volunteering organizations in the following areas: social and socio-health assistance; the protection of civil rights vis-à-vis disadvantaged people, mainly children and the elderly; education, by building schools and training facilities in developing countries. Special attention is paid to disabled people, who are supported by Enel Cuore’s projects favouring social inclusion through amateur sport. So far, Enel Cuore has donated 40 million euros towards and developed 431 projects in Italy and abroad. www.enelcuore.org
  

Enel Green Power
 
Enel Green Power is the Enel Group company dedicated to the development and management of power generation from renewable resources around the world, with a presence in Europe, North America and Latin America. It is an industry leader worldwide thanks to some 22 billion kilowatt hours generated from water, sun, wind and geothermal, meeting the energy needs of some 8 million households and avoiding 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The company has an installed capacity of more than 6,100 MW, with over 620 facilities around the world and a generation mix that includes wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass. www.enelgreenpower.com

Microsoft Word - Enel Cuore Guatemala inglese

PDF (0.05MB) Download