Monday, December 25, 2017

Happy Holidays

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Happy Holidays and all the best iin 2018!

We had a very successful 2017 and thankful to our supporters, long term volunteers, new partners, friends and families who continue to believe in what we are trying to accomplish.

We wish everyone a peaceful, joyful and prosperous New Year!

Cheers!


 Photo courtesy of  https://twitter.com/unpublications

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Yelapa School

In the past year, we have been in discussion with educators in Yelapa, Mexico to launch a new education project in this village located within the Bay of Banderas (Puerto Vallarta region). We have sent two volunteers to assess the situation and capacity of the school and its supporters and believe that there is an opportunity to begin a partnership in the coming year. 

Yelapa is one of the few remaining "Communidas" in Mexico, a population of approximately 2,000 that is located on the coast line south of Puerto Vallarta. Accessible only by boat and water taxi, there are no roads into the village and people still rely on horses, mules, wheelbarrows and more recently ATVs for transportation. It was not until 2001 that Yelapa was able to access electricity for the first time bringing with it communication (telephone) and internet connection that significantly shifted the way villagers lived their lives. 


Yelapa remains a small, unique and diverse community. There is a strong and vibrant population living along the Tuito river, which divides the town from the beach and river neighborhoods. Like all communities, it has its disparity, not only in the standard of living and opportunities available to children and families but also barrier to accessing resources for learning and higher education due to its geographical isolation.
Teachers and volunteers are committed to ensure that students in Yelapa receive basic primary education in the village, without having to travel to Puerto Vallarta or other colonias.  We are supportive of improving the school curriculum and providing technological supplies within our capacity. During the November project site visit initiative - Isa Mundo was able to donate the first batch of laptops to Yelapa as a gesture of goodwill and continue discussions on the potential launch of the first Isa Mundo Education Centre in the village of Yelapa.




Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Mexico Project Site Visits

We are set to return to Mexico and in the beautiful and culturally rich state of Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta region.  Isa Mundo projects in the area have become example of success stories for the Foundation where our school projects are doing well, child centred facilities are built and new projects continue to be launched.  Non profit organizations are well supported in the region with international volunteer groups providing additional support.

We will be visiting Pasitos de Luz (Casa Connor) and a new education project in Boca de Tomatlan. We will be donating much needed laptops to a school in Yelapa and hope to officially launch a project in the village in the near future. We will provide update on site as we meet up with our dedicated friends and partners in Mexico.

Gracias

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Career Highlight - Andrée Lacasse

Isa Mundo Foundation Co-Founder, Andrée Lacasse - was recently highlighted by University of Victoria's School of Child and Youth Care for her dedication to Isa Mundo's education and child and youth projects. It also recognizes  her contributions to Indigenous communities through her career at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and her volunteer work with the Inuit community in Ottawa.

We are grateful to Andrée for her outstanding contributions in improving the lives of less fortunate children internationally and in her local community. To read more about the article, click on the Child and Youth Care Website.





Wednesday, August 9, 2017

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

Isa Mundo Foundation would like to acknowledge and celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.  Isa Mundo has supported various projects to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples in Asia and Latin America.

United Nations estimates that there are "370 million indigenous people in the world, living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 per cent of the world's population, but account for 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world's estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures" 

2017 also marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of indigenous peoples.

To learn more about this day visit the website of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.

Photo: Haida Museum - Haida Gwaii 


Saturday, July 22, 2017

Goal 7: Affordable Clean Energy

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Since our launch in 2006, the Foundation has focused on sustainable energy and providing access to energy that can improve food production, income and education.  The United Nations (UN) outlined that:

"energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Sustainable energy is opportunity – it transforms lives, economies and the planet."

In our various travels worldwide, we have witnessed that communities still do not have access to electricity and still rely on burning coal and wood for food and heat.  According to the UN:

  •  Over 1.2B people or 1 in 5 of the world's population still do not have access to electricity
  • Energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions
  • Reducing the carbon intensity of energy is a key objective in long-term climate goals.
Isa Mundo is committed in continuing to work with other non profit organizations to help deliver affordable and sustainable energy to communities who need it most.

To learn more about Goal #7, click on the poster Affordable and Clean Energy: Why it Matters.




Sunday, June 11, 2017

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all 

Having access to clean water is one of the most important parts of basic survival. The planet contains enough fresh water to sustain our population but poor infrastructure and economics result in millions of people who die from diseases as a result of poor water supplies, sanitation and hygine.

The UN estimates that:
  • 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, but 663 million people are still without
  • At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated
  • 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines
  • More than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal
  • Each day,nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related  diarrhoeal diseases
  • Approximately 70 per cent of all water abstracted from rivers, lakes and aquifers is used for irrigation
By 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.  Isa Mundo Foundation and its partners have supported rain water collection system projects in Latin America and will continue to work with communities in the future to improve access to clean water.

To learn more about Goal 6, click on the poster Sanitation: Why it Matters.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Goal 5: Gender Equality


Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

There have been some progress on gender equality in the past 10 years but according the United Nations, women and girls continue to face barriers and violence in the world.  The United Nations (UN) outlined that, "gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world".   The UN data summarized that:
  • About  two thirds of countries in the developing regions have achieved gender parity in primary education.
  • In Southern Asia, only 74 girls were enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys in 1990. By 2012, the enrolment ratios were the same for girls as for boys.
  • Women in Northern Africa hold less than one in five paid jobs in the non-agricultural sector. The proportion of women in paid employment outside the agriculture sector has increased from 35 per cent in 1990 to 41 per cent in 2015.
In addition, the UN Report concluded that women and girls represent half of the world's population and therefore also half of its potential.  But today, gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress. The Isa Mundo Foundation support projects that provide equal access to education, health services and safe facilities to women and girls to improve lives of families and communities worldwide.

To learn more about Goal #5, click the poster Gender Equality: Why it Matters.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Goal 4: Quality Education

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.

Of the 17 Goals supported by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, quality education and lifelong learning identifies one of Isa Mundo Foundation's primary objectives - to provide basic primary education for all.

Isa Mundo strongly promotes the UN's commitment to this Goal to progress our own projects and draw attention and support to this very important initiative.

According to the UN: enrollment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91% but 57 million children remain out of school. In addition, an estimated 50 per cent of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas.  


The Goal's report outlines that "education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education, they can break from the cycle of poverty."

To learn more about Goal #4, click the poster Quality Education: Why It Matters.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

United Nations outlined that:
  • 17,000 fewer children die each day than in 1990, but more than six million children still die before their fifth birthday each year
  • Despite determined global progress, an increasing proportion of child deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Four out of every five deaths of children under age five occur in these regions.
  • Children born into poverty are almost twice as likely to die before the age of five as those from wealthier families. 
  • Only half of women in developing regions receive the recommended amount of health care they need
  • Fewer teens are having children in most developing regions, but progress has slowed. The large increase in contraceptive use in the 1990s was not matched in the 2000s
  • At the end of 2013, there were an estimated 35 million people living with HIV
  • AIDS is now the leading cause of death among adolescents (aged 10–19) in Africa and the second most common cause of death among adolescents global
  • In many settings, adolescent girls’ right to privacy and bodily autonomy is not respected, as many report that their first sexual experience was forced
The Goal states that by ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages is important in building a prosperous society.  To learn more about Goal #3, click on the poster Good Health and Well-Being: Why it Matters.


Saturday, February 18, 2017

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Goal 2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security And Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture
 
The UN Sustainable Development Goals reported that: 

"A profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish today’s 795 million hungry and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050. The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication."

The Goal points to the fact that "with enough food to feed everyone  on the planet, why are there so many hungry people?" To learn more about Goal 2, please read the poster Zero Hunger: Why it Matters report.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Goal 1: End Poverty And All Its Form Everywhere

As we committed in 2017, Isa Mundo Foundation will highlight the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and to promote and support the list of items identified by the SDG.

Goal 1: End Poverty and All Its Form Everywhere

"Extreme poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 1990. While this is a remarkable achievement, one in five people in developing regions still live on less than $1.25 a day, and there are millions more who make little more than this daily amount, plus many people risk slipping back into poverty."

To learn more visit the UN SDG #1 click on the poster at Ending poverty – Why it matters (PDF)




Wednesday, January 11, 2017

United Nations - Sustainable Development Goals

On January 1, 2016 the United Nations (UN) began the call for action to act on commitments set forward by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The SDGs  were adopted by world leaders in 2015 and follows the previous Millennium Development Goals.  Seventeen (17) SDGs or Global Goals have been identified and it's part of of the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Of the 17 SDGs, Isa Mundo Foundation is directly attached to providing quality education, improve situations of children and youth, conservation and sustainable practices - all with the focus on improving less fortunate communities.

Isa Mundo will highlight each of the 17 SDGs this year and we invite all our partners, volunteers and other not-for-profit organizations to promote and contribute to these Goals within our homes, work, communities and globally.

To learn more about these Goals visit the UN Sustainable Development Goals website.