Projects list

Borrando Fronteras Project
The Borrando Fronteras Project is an excellent opportunity to strengthen ones skills and abilities using open spaces for learning, reflection and open dialogue. With the sponsorship of the De Waal Foundation, this project was 32 months long starting in May 1996. The success of this project impacted the entire nation. There were 24 processes of training, initially obtaining a group of 430 trainees, changing their conceptions, attitudes and behaviors in relation to persons with disabilities. As well, they adapted their skills with the purpose to improve the quality and quantity of their specific services to support people with disabilities in Ecuador. This project has benefited 21,500 people indirectly.

Our work with the "Borrando Fronteras Project" led to the identification of a need for a new Project - "Management of Social Development Organizations". Obtaining the sponsorship of the ONCE Foundation. We created 5 modules of training. Leaders of various non-government organizations were involved in this project and utilized the various modules.

We are always looking to increase our quality and quantity of education and training activities, furthermore, we are always willing to collaborate with Universities and institutions of higher learning. For this reason, together, with the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, the "Diplomado Superior de Cuarto Nivel en Intervención Social" was created, a distance model, through which persons in the social field are trained. It has many positive characteristics: it is flexible, has a strong emphasis on personal and professional ethics with an awareness of the global situation that is surrounding us. Also, it creates an awareness that one must strive to reach their capability of innovation and to be conscious of the need to train themselves. It strives to create new ideas and progress as a group.

Cultural Diffusion
The Foundation has donated books to 400 libraries in the National System of Libreries (SINAB), to different municipal libraries and Institutes of Special Education around the country. (1989-1990)

Social Housing Project
In the South of Quito. The Foundation has built 105 houses and 8 shops with the participation of MANDATO of Mutualista Pichincha and CONVISA. (1990-1996)

Industrial Carpentry D'Artmonia
D'Artmonia has developed many activities in the Foundation building where skilful artisans work together with youths who have various intellectual disabilities.

Fight for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

• Disability Law  
  The Foundation has worked actively, since in 1992, with four federations that support persons with disabilities, with NGO's who are involved in the field, with public institutions and with the National Council of Disabilities "CONADIS". This was all for the preparation and the update of the current law No. 180 on disability. Together with INNFA and CONADIS, we have given the administrative support for this project that was executed in June 1998 and that was approved by Congress on June 14th, 2000.
• Laboural Code
  Fundación General Ecuatoriana and the Ecuadorian Chapter of the Latin-American Group for the Participation, Integration and Inclusion of Persons with Disability supports the initiative to reform the Laboural Code, by actions of recognition especially with members of the National Congress and productive and synodical sectors of the country.
  
  The Political Constitution of Ecuador (Art. 53), the Law of Disabilities (Art. 4, numeral c) and the Regulation (Art. 7) recognize the right to work for persons with disability.
  On the other hand, the Art. 42 of the current Laboural Code, numeral 33, says textually: " To contract persons with disabilities according to their skills and in agreement to the possibilities and needs of the company. "
  
  Since that this text does not constitute a legal sustenance adapted for the labor insertion of persons with disability and rather it can be interpreted by the companies to push them back, Conadis, Ministry of Work and five Federations of and for the Disability Law promoted a Project of Reform to the Laboural Code that was presented to the National Congress. The essential points of this project were:
  
  - That 4 % of the labor list of a company assigns to persons with disability.
  - Tax benefits to the companies that give work to persons with disability, and sanctions to those who will not do it.
  - The Project is presented for the second discussion in the National Congress.

Disability Prevention Project
The Project concerning the prevention of disabilities was accomplished thanks to an international agreement between De Waal Foundation from Holland and March of Dimes from the US. In January, 2000 The Waal Foundation invited to Fundación General Ecuatoriana and Fasinarm to collaborate with each other in order to design and to elaborate the Training Manuals for the Prenatal Prevention of Disabilities Project. Fundación General Ecuatoriana coordinated the activities of the Pichincha Regional Office, taking part in this activity until July, 2000. Nowadays the program is in charge of an independent entity: the Prenatal Corporation.

Make Society Aware of Disabilities Project
Fundación General Ecuatoriana started in 1996 different campaigns to make society aware of disabled people with a double purpose: to prevent the disabilities as much as possible and to promote a positive attitude among the masses towards persons with disabilities. These messages have been transmitted at a national level, with the collaboration of the media: press, radio and television, also, with the support of private companies that have decided to link their image to the cause of disabilities. Up till now, 226.665 messages have been sent.

In 1998 the Basic Manual on Disabilities was published in Quichua-Spanish and Shuar-Spanish, with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Public Health, its Project of Empowerment and the promotion of the Basic Services of Health in Ecuador (FASBASE). It describes each one of the disabilities, the reasons for and measures of prevention. It has been given to community leaders, promoters of health and educators of diverse native communities, being constituted as an informative instrument to reach the rural and urban marginalized areas of the country.

Campaign of Sensitization of the Law and the Laws of Persons with Disabilities
On June 10th, 2004, the campaign of " Sensitization of the Law and the Laws of Persons with Disabilities " began and was supported by the Government of the Province of Pichincha.

The project was supported by two components: an existential one, at the expense of the Paraplegic Association of Pichincha, with visits to a group of persons with disability in different high schools of nine cantons of the province: Quito, Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Cayambe, Pedro Moncayo, Rumiñahui, Pedro Vicente Maldonado, San Miguel de los Bancos, Puerto Quito and Mejía.

This was created in order to support a direct dialogue with the students of the fourth and fifth levels, to let them know the daily difficulties that they have to face before a society that is not prepared to make them possible the exercise of their rights. The Guide of Disability and Rights.

The second component led by Fundación General Ecuatoriana, utilizing the diffusion of ten wedges of radio, with the contribution of 44 radios of the province, with a total of 19.800 messages.

Traning for Taking Care of Children with Intellectual Disability Project
Together with the Corporation of Educative Innovation, the sponsorship of Kellogg Foundation, Castrol of Ecuador and the Institute of Children and Family, the Foundation has developed a process of training parents at a national level. This project was presented to the Interamerican Institute of the Child, (OEA), obtaining the Prize "Eloisa de Lorenzo –Special Mention".

Research "Diagnose on the Occupational Situation of the Persons with Disability in Ecuador "
By means of contest, Fundación General Ecuatoriana obtained the call to do this investigation, which was executed in association with CEDATOS; deserving a special letter of congratulation on the part of the Program of United Nations for the Development; and the obtaining of the prize " Presea al Mérito 94-95 " on the part of the Ecuadoran Service of Professional Training (SECAP).