Winners of the Vidanta Foundation Awards, 2017.

Winners 2018

Meeting of the Jury 2017

The Jury of the Vidanta Foundation Award, presided by the former President of Uruguay, Julio María Sanguinetti and integrated by Rolando Cordera, Guadalupe González, Nora Lustig and José Luis Machinea, met on September 8th in Riviera Maya to choose the three winning institutions of this year.
The work of the Jury was preceded by a rigorous pre-selection process of all the Mexican applications -89 in total- carried out by a Committee formed by Mrs. Catherine Pognat of the OAS and Leonor Calderón of SEGIB.

First Prize: Cinco Panes y dos peces A.C.

Cinco Panes y Dos Peces is a Mexican organization that seeks to reduce risk and vulnerability to possible disasters, or medical and humanitarian emergencies in mountain communities, highly isolated and marginalized in 5 states of the country (Chiapas, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz). Established in 1992, the project has improved community response, livelihood and activation capacities in 657 communities. Through the project, Enlaza Mexico developed anetwork of radio communication that allows overcoming barriers of illiteracy and language and facilitates sending and receiving early warnings. It has also facilitated the development of threat maps and the identification of zones of maximum risk, the capacity building of more than 2000 community leaders and of 290 committees of brigadistas who coordinate actions to increase the capacity of communities to respond before possible disasters. It has also made possible the development of threat maps, the identification of zones of maximum risk and the training of more than 2000 community leaders and 290 committees of “brigadistas” who coordinate actions to increase the capacity of communities to cope with possible disasters.

More information: www.cincopanesydospeces.org

Second Prize: IDEAS Información y Diseños Educativos para Acciones Saludables, A.C.

Ch'ieltik is an NGO established in Chiapas since 2009 in order to contribute to the development and welfare of youth indigenous through educational, cultural and artistic workshops. It aims at increasing the capacities of teen agers between 10 and 19 years through cultural and artistic activities from the perspective of the rights of youth indigenous. The NGO promotes the participation of adolescents in the exercise of their rights, including sexual and reproductive rights. The program is linked to the community through alliances with community authorities, educational institutions, offering workshops on gender issues, decision making to stay in the school system and postponing motherhood or parenthood, managing emotions and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

More information: www.chieltik.org

Third Prize: Dignidad y Justicia en el camino, A.C. (FM 4 Paso Libre)

FM4 Paso Libre is a non-profit organization that was formed by an interdisciplinary group of young volunteers to respond to the reality of migration in transit. Through the Center of Assistance to Migrants and Refugees (CAM) they serve migrants, Mexican or foreign, in transit through Guadalajara. They receive migrants fleeing violence from the so-called "Northern Triangle of Central America" (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador). The organization provides humanitarian assistance as well as medical and legal assistance with the support of university students specializing in medicine, immigration law and refugee law.

More information: www.fm4pasolibre.org