The Sunrise+ project is the natural evolution of Sunrise, the AMU-EoC post-earthquake rehabilitation project that has been already concluded
Source: AMU
Muisne Canton, Ecuador - also known as the Isla del Encanto (enchanted island) - Esmeraldas Province: one of the regions with the highest poverty rate in the country; the communities that live on this beautiful land have been linked with fishing for generations: a tough job, but one of the few possibilities that the canton can offer. It's an area full of difficulties, where opportunities for work, education and development are scarce, but crime is much. Economic and social inequalities and vulnerabilities are the slippery slope on which the youth of Muisne grow up.
For these reasons, at the end of the post-earthquake project Sunrise, AMU and EoC decided to start a new project, a natural evolution of the previous one, to accompany young people in vocational training and education for the conservation of natural resources. The aim of Sunrise+ is to promote job opportunities and environmentally sustainable entrepreneurship, with the objective of counteracting the ecological damage that is increasing the social vulnerability of these populations.
The Sunrise+ project is enriched by a whole series of activities that are, so to speak, collateral – such as recreational activities, training on values, psychological sessions – which are an added value for transforming the habits and behaviours of children, young people and adults who make up the communities of the canton of Muisne. These activities are carried out by the Ecological Clubs, who have been entrusted with the task of transforming the future of such a complex area. The Clubs carry out a great many activities and the young people who are part of them are eager to get involved in improving the life of their communities and to build their future through concrete actions, starting with environmental protection.
Jimmy is an eighteen-year-old young man, member of the Ecological Club network, who has personally experienced the impact of this new path supported by Sunrise+.
He used to spend his days studying and helping out in his father's mechanical workshop. The rest of his time was spent waiting for a future that perhaps already had been decided for him, with no real alternatives. Joining one of the Ecological Clubs brought about a decisive change of direction in his life. Jimmy says,
‘My life changed. I found myself surrounded by a group of people who try to help others in every way they can, and who care a lot about the environment. And they do all this with joy and cheer’.
Jimmy, too, has been infected by the atmosphere of brotherhood that reigns in the Ecological Clubs, and has lead him to reflect: better here than falling into the traps of crime, it is better to work for positive change, rather than letting things go on without any hope of improvement. And he says,
‘Being surrounded by people who encourage me to grow in a positive way makes me stronger and able to make the right decisions and resist the temptation to join criminal gangs’.
