- Iberdrola completed the rebuilding of the first three schools and is making progress in the rebuilding works of five additional schools
- With an investment of 125 million pesos, the Construir para Educar (Build to Educate) program will rebuild 50 damaged schools, which will have solar panels for a sustainable power supply
- Additionally, the company announced the donation of 1.7 million pesos in medical supplies to support the safe back to school at the Tehuantepec Isthmus
Santa Cruz Bamba and Garrapatero, Oaxaca. September 3, 2021.- Iberdrola México delivered to the Government of Oaxaca the first three schools included in the Construir para Educar (Build to Educate) program, aimed at supporting education in the state through the reconstruction of 50 schools in the Tehuantepec Isthmus that were damaged by the 2017 earthquakes, with an investment of 125 million pesos, which will have solar panels for a sustainable power supply.
In the inauguration of the Indigenous Initial Education Center in Santa Cruz Bamba and Garrapatero in Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, in the Isthmus region -one of the schools benefited by the program- Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa stressed the importance of children’s education, “because every dream can become true with education, nothing is impossible.”
In this town that has been visited for the first time by a state governor, Murat Hinojosa also pointed out that with this visit he is fulfilling his commitment to the region after the 2017 earthquakes. “We are here today, fulfilling our pledge since 2017, because we have been able to rebuild 99% of damaged schools”.
Additionally, the Governor said that Oaxaca has coped with difficult situations with the support of the private sector. “Today we are on our feet because that is how we are in Oaxaca; we have suffered disasters in the last four years, but together we have moved forward. We have been able to cope with reconstruction hand in hand with our extended family, and Iberdrola is part of this family”.
He added that Iberdrola has invested in Oaxaca in the last four years more than 200 million pesos in schools, homes that lacked electricity, scholarships for young people in the middle to higher education level, as well as the empowerment of women in Oaxaca.
The CEO of Iberdrola México, Enrique Alba Carcelén, said in his speech that Iberdrola México has always expressed its commitment to the education of children and young people, because they are convinced that knowledge will give them better opportunities in the future and will allow them to decisively contribute to the development and wellbeing of their communities and the country.
“All students and teachers deserve safe and decent schools where they can receive quality education. We want this to become true in Oaxaca and joining efforts with Governor Alejandro Murat we have launched this ambitious school reconstruction program”, he pointed out.
Alba Carcelén said that in addition to the Indigenous Initial Education Center, the first stage of Construir para Educar (Build to Educate) benefited the Instituto de Estudios de Bachillerato 43, located at Morro Mazatán, and the Secundaria Técnica No. 113 of La Ventosa in Juchitán de Zaragoza, with an investment of 9 million pesos in works of demolition of damaged structures, installation of electric and hydraulic grids, paint and waterproofing, building of cafeterias, multiple-use courts, toilets, perimetral barriers and access doors, among other.
“The Reconstruir para Educar (Build to Educate) Project is a clear example that great things can be built for the benefit of the people in Oaxaca working as a team together and adding efforts. The partnership between the government and the private sector is highly relevant for the state’s economic and social development”, the CEO of Iberdrola México stressed.
He said that in the second stage of the project, the company started five additional schools, three in Juchitán and two in Santo Domingo Ingenio, where it will invest over 15 million pesos in the repair of classrooms, the building of toilets, fences and hallways, as well as the installation of water and septic tanks.
Iberdrola México also announced the donation of medical supplies with an investment of 1.7 million pesos, which comprises 50 thousand face masks, 15 thousand KN95 masks and one thousand 1-liter bottles of antibacterial gel, will contribute to the safe back to school of more than 24 thousand students of 192 schools in the municipalities of El Espinal, Juchitán de Zaragoza, Santo Domingo Ingenio and Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, and which will be distributed with the support of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico (Concamin) and the State Welfare Secretariat.
Additionally, in partnership with the Concentrarte organization and as part of the program scope, the last week of August workshops were held with students, teachers and parents of the Indigenous Initial Education Center that were finished with the creation of the “Bordando esperanza” (Embroidering Hope) mural designed by the artist Iván Intakto, which reflects the strength and identity of the Isthmus peoples, as well as the perseverance and endurance to cope with the challenges left by the 2017 earthquakes in this region.
In his speech, the director general of the Oaxaca State Institute of Public Education (IEEPO), Francisco Ángel Villareal, said that this collaboration of Iberdrola adds to the great task performed in the state by Governor Alejandro Murat as a partner of the teachers in Oaxaca.
He said that since the beginning of the administration, almost 400 thousand children out of the 872 thousand enrolled across the state have received school furniture and equipment, and for the first time 18 thousand teachers have also been benefited with the work tools required for their tasks, such as computers and printers.
“Education is the primary social mobility factor in Oaxaca, that is why it is important to bring technology and furniture to this sector, besides a continued dialog with the teachers in Oaxaca, always in favor of the children and young people in Oaxaca, to comply with their right to education”, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the director of the Indigenous Initial Education Center, Gloricel Jiménez Piñón, stated that with this project they will return to classes with a safe school, because this will not only benefit 40 children, but also o new generations, where they will acquire greater knowledge and opportunities in the future. “Education is the key to development and being part of this project makes me extremely glad».
Construir para Educar (Build to Educate), launched by Iberdrola México at the end of 2019, contemplates an investment of 80 million pesos until 2024 for students and teachers in Oaxaca to have available the proper infrastructure to continue with a decent and safe education.
This program joins the various social actions carried out by the company in Oaxaca to foster the South-Southeast in the country, like Impulso STEM (STEM Boost), an initiative focused on gender to strengthen the education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or the Luces de Esperanza (Lights of Hope) project to bring electricity to rural communities through the installation of solar panels at homes, schools, clinics, and community centers.
At the end of the event, Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa, and the CEO of Iberdrola Mexico, unveiled the plaque of the Indigenous Initial Education Center in Santa Cruz Bamba and Garrapatero, which will benefit the student population in this community.
Additionally, accompanied by the municipal president of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Vilma Martínez Cortés; the director of the IEEPO, Ángel Villarreal; the Secretary of Economy in Oaxaca, Juan Pablo Guzmán Cobián and the Isthmus artist Iván Intakto, the State Governor made a tour of the facilities.
