Sturminster Newton Medical Centre | fundacion estrella brillante

health centre project | fundacion estrella brillante – ecuador

The practice having been fortunate enough to have moved in to our fabulous new premises in Sturminster Newton thought it would be a good idea if we could fundraise for a special cause. Sherborne School has links with a charity who fundraise for improving the education and health of the rural poor community in Ibarra Ecuador. One of their projects is to set up and maintain a local mini health center. All of the details of the project can be found below, the really lovely thing about this charity is that every penny raised goes towards the really practical things i.e. bricks and mortar, equipment, desks and chairs, no one is paid a salary. Its focus is, supporting the community to help itself and to build sustainability into all of the projects.

The practice has started to fundraise internally with staff, through buying our Christmas cards via this charity, setting up a staff soup kitchen where each Monday a member of the team brings in homemade soup and staff donate a small amount of money for each bowl they consume. We will be holding various fundraising events throughout the year and would be extremely grateful for any donations to assist our efforts. There is a collection box on each of the reception desks, posters and displays on the notice boards in each surgery as well as this information on the website. We also hope shortly to be enable donations via the website, but this is still in development. Our initial target is to raise £1000.00.

We will be posting updates on the project as and when we receive them so that everyone can see where the money goes and the fabulous work this community does to improve their situation for their own and their children’s future.

about the foundation
Established in 2005 in Ibarra, Northern Ecuador, our foundation has the aim to help the young rural poor by improving education and health facilities. Run by Alan Howard, a English writer resident in Ecuador for nine years, along with a team of young Ecuadorians, we have provided materials such as blackboards and computers as well as building materials so that the local communities can build new classrooms and other such projects. None of us receive any payments for our work so that all of your donations go directly to the projects. Equally we do not give away any money as such but buy the required materials so that the work can be done.

our present projects
As well as continuing to provide specific educational equipment, we have 3 major projects that we are assisting:

The construction of a dining hall and kitchen for a local primary and junior school.
The construction of a nursery school which can also be used as a community centre.
The provision and running of a mini health centre.

mini health centre project
We are working to provide a small local health centre for a community called Santa Rosa and the surrounding area on the outskirts of Ibarra. The aim, initially, is for the centre to be open three mornings a week, staffed by a nurse, and providing basic initial health care as well as a small pharmacy.

The project is very much a joint operation. The building, a single storey brick built construction, is being loaned by it’s owners free of any charges. It is being finished at this moment and will provide a large waiting room, a kitchen, 2 consulting rooms, and a pharmacy.

The local health authority have agreed to provide the basic initial equipment for the centre and to provide the basic drugs to start the pharmacy. They are very actively involved in the project, giving advice as well as material help. Their funds come from a link with the Belgium government aid agency.

The salary of the nurse will be paid for by Mr.Bob Holt, Chairman of Mears PLC, who visited us in June to see our various projects and who was particularly impressed by the possibilities of this scheme..

The centre will also be used for health education with the aim of having monthly talks for the local community on a variety of health and social issues. It will also be used as the base for a team of local health volunteers. This is a very exciting scheme developed by the local health authority to train up in basic health care a group of local volunteers, mainly young women, who will be able to identify problems before they are too serious and help with the development of health education. The prevention of disease, including a recent rapid increase in tuberculosis, is a priority. Both Armando and Alan are training as part of this group who will graduate in December.

Our hope is to have the centre up and running for January but this being Ecuador; we will be delighted if it’s ready for Easter.

Obviously any help that anyone can provide would be very gratefully received. We can promise you that any donation would go directly to any of the projects that you designate. You would also be informed of exactly where it’s gone and what equipment we have been able to provide. We remain grateful and humbled by the confidence that people have placed in us, encouraged both by the goodwill of our ‘amigos’ and the gratitude expressed in the smiling faces of the people being helped.

For further information – email alanecuador@yahoo.co.uk

Alan Howard, Armando Ichau, Sole Ipiales, Lucia Ichau, Marcelo Matando

Ibarra, Ecuador, October 2007.

the history
The foundation was formally established in 2005 when it was recognised by the Ecuadorian authorities. The idea of the foundation grew out of a contact established in 2003 between Sherborne School for Girls and a small rural primary school on the outskirts of Ibarra in Northern Ecuador. Over a period of three years, financial help has allowed significant improvements to the school, including the repair of desks and chairs, the acquisition of two second hand computers, and this year the replacement of the old blackboards. The lesson that we have learnt from this experience is how a little help can make a great difference. This has encouraged us to think of expanding the operation.

the aims
The principal aim of Estrella Brillante is to help the young rural poor of Ecuador to develop their potential and realise their dreams; to be better educated, informed and encouraged to aim high and go far. To achieve this aim, we hope to attract financial aid which would be put directly to use in improving school facilities. As we progress, there is the aim to set up a series of bursaries which would allow talented youngsters to fully realise their potential by continuing their education further than their normal circumstances would permit.

the administration
The foundation is headed by Alan Howard, an English writer resident in Ecuador for over six years, and is run by a team of young Ecuadorians. Vice-President Armando Ichau is typical of this group; a 24 year old father of one, he was the first member of all his extended family to finish his secondary school education, pass his baccalaureat and go on to university. His example has been a particular “shining star” for the present pupils of his former primary school.

As the costs of the administration are at present being met by the President and his committee, this means that the full amount of any donation will go directly to a particular project. Donors will receive detailed information, including photos, of where their money has been used.

FUNDACION ESTRELLA BRILLANTE
would you like to be an amigo?
We are looking for Amigos and Amigas to help us fund our new projects for 2007. Our small educational charity, based in the Andean mountains of Northern Ecuador, aims to help improve the educational facilities of remote rural schools. In the past we have given new blackboards and computers, repaired desks and provided paint and other materials to redecorate the buildings. This year we hope to reroof the main school building and to build from scratch a new nursery school. These are joint projects with the local communities. We provide the materials. They provide the labour. All your money goes directly to the projects. Nobody receives any payment.

how can I become an amigo?
A small financial contribution would help us enormously. We suggest fifty pounds but any sum, smaller or greater, would be gratefully received. You can also help us by recruiting another Amigo. Please spread the word.

what will I receive as an amigo?
You’ll receive a regular newsletter. At the moment we send out an annual review but we are planning a six-monthly up-date. You have an open invitation to visit us here and see where your money is being spent. More importantly you will have the heartfelt thanks of hundreds of children, their parents, grandparents and their whole communities, for encouraging and enabling their ambitions.

what do I do next?
If you would like to become an Amigo, please fill in the following details and send them to me at – R.A.Howard, Casilla IMB 10 01 44, Ibarra, Imbabura, Ecuador or e-mail at – alanecuador@yahoo.co.uk.

Name

Address

E mail address

I would like to become an Amigo and enclose a donation of ________ for the Fundacion Estrella Brillante. (Sterling cheques should be made payable to R.A.Howard(F.E.B.), dollar cheques to Fundacion Estrella Brillante.) I’ll try to find another Amigo.

Or if you prefer you can donate any amount via the practice in one of our donation boxes.
We will regularly send them a cheque with any funds raised.