Additional Social Investment Plan of the Ituango hydroelectric project enters its final stage

This EPM release was published using machine translation.

With the delivery of 12 homes to vulnerable families in the municipality of Ituango, EPM exceeded 95% progress in complying with the actions contemplated within the Additional Social Investment Plan of the Ituango hydroelectric project.

The 12 beneficiary families, who were selected by the Ituango Mayor's Office, today own homes that contribute to their well-being, including the enjoyment of common areas such as a sports hall for recreation and recreation. The land was provided by the town for this purpose.

The Additional Social Investment Plan has an assigned budget of USD100 million, which in turn is part of the $ 1.2 billion that the Project has invested to date in its social and environmental management, not only in compliance with legal obligations. that the national and local authorities demand as a rule, but also as a contribution, from their social responsibility, to the sustainable development of the communities near the work: Briceño, Ituango, San Andrés de Cuerquia, Toledo, Valdivia, Yarumal, Buriticá, Liborina , Olaya, Peque, Sabanalarga and Santa Fe de Antioquia.

In the seven years of execution of the Additional Social Investment Plan, numerous actions have been carried out to contribute to the improvement of connectivity, infrastructure in education and housing, health conditions and food security of the communities; the strengthening of social participation in decisions and projects that are installed in the territory and the restoration of rights.

The following lines of action were prioritized according to the identification of the main deficiencies in each locality and with the participation of the communities and in coordination with departmental and local authorities, in their formulation and execution:

Connectivity: the economic progress of the communities requires a good road infrastructure to take their products for sale in the municipal seats. To facilitate the connectivity of the inhabitants of the region, the Ituango Project has contributed to the recovery of 1,218 kilometers of secondary, tertiary and bridleways.

Nutritional food security: aware of the nutritional and food insecurity faced by many people in this region, with the support of local authorities, 3,785 families were identified, who participated in the same number of production projects. Families received training, technical assistance, tools, supplies, and fertilizers to create and maintain their own crops. In total 3,065 hectares were intervened in 378 sidewalks to make these productive projects a reality.

In addition, 2,300 families were benefited through the Maná Project, through the creation of vegetable gardens and the establishment of productive ventures, which allow them today to have greater autonomy and self-management capacity.

Housing: although EPM's business name does not include the construction of housing, the additional social investment plan contemplated this line of action when considering access to housing as a human right and a necessary condition for quality of life. For this reason, the Project has delivered to date 52 new residential units for the same number of families and contributed to the improvement of the conditions of 659 homes.

Education: to facilitate the availability and access of children and adolescents to education and training services, it contributed to the improvement of 71 educational establishments, which consisted of adapting classrooms, libraries, dining rooms, recreational spaces, among others, and They built 7 new training centers.

Health: inequity in access to health has historically damaged the human and social development of the region, so this plan invested resources in facilitating access to formal health care networks, with improvements and equipment delivery doctors to a health post, including two ambulances, and offered health care to 12,463 people. The healthy schools program was also implemented in 10 educational institutions.

Public services: in these 7 years, 5,489 families were connected to the provision of the home gas service. In addition, eight aqueduct and sewerage master plans were developed.

Social participation: with the purpose of strengthening the self-management capacity of the communities, the Plan prioritized 70 projects that met the requirements of minorities and vulnerable populations, such as the strengthening of micro-enterprises for people with disabilities, of elderly organizations and organizations social and communal; leadership training; youth training programs; activities for the cultural and artistic expression of the communities, and support for community radio stations, among others.

Institutional strengthening, human rights and protective environments: priority was given to strengthening institutional, community, family and individual capacities that would enable security conditions and comprehensive coexistence for 11,890 people through the defense and promotion of human rights, access to justice and violence prevention.

The programs and activities that were carried out, depending on the specific conditions of each municipality, included the project of the Comprehensive Route for Families Victims of the Armed Conflict that addresses the search for offers of care, the restoration of rights and psychosocial support to victims.

Historical memory groups were formed and workshops on mine risk education and promotion of human rights and coexistence were held. The youth took part in the Protective Environments program, which includes activities to strengthen their self-esteem, assertive communication, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, critical and creative thinking, and managing emotions as a strategy to move them away from illegality. In turn, through the project "Building Other Philosophies of Life", 900 students in grades 8 and 9 received training in the prevention of the consumption of psychoactive substances and principles of coexistence.

Another of the central programs was the strengthening of the management capacity of the Family Police Stations for the resolution of conflicts, the promotion and restoration of human rights, and compliance with the Law on Victims, among other actions.

To date, the Additional Social Investment Plan for the Ituango hydroelectric project is in the completion phase. The last lines of action to be carried out will make it possible to deliver 16 new homes to families in the Peque municipality, the aqueduct and sewerage master plan in Valdivia, the improvement of the Tabacal-La Cordillera highway in Buriticá and the installation of collectors for sewerage in Liborina and Olaya.