1. Healthy environment (potable water, and adequate waste water disposal): The Women's Shelter needs to urgently repair its potable water filter and provide much needed maintenance to its plant-based grey water filters. The compound was built with natural and ecological material and systems in order to contribute with innovative solutions to the big environmental problems that Ecuador faces (less and less access to clean drinkable water; very few sewage-treatment facilities - most sewage runs untreated to rivers). These systems now need maintenance to insure health and well being of women and children.
2. Healthy food - women and especially their children come to the shelter often undernourished and with nutritional challenges. A lot of women and children are not used to eating vegetables. Children and women face anemia, poor nutrition and malnutrition which have an direct impact in their overall health and performance in work and school. So it is very important to provide organic vegetables and fruits and train staff and women and children on farming and preparation of healthy food.
3. Women and children come with high impact of violence and trauma (PTSD)- recovery and healing of these wounds is the first and most important step on their way to a self determined life and must include "alternative therapies" and empowerment, which have proven to have a big impact in the recovery processes of trauma victims (working with soil in the garden, planting for women, alternative methods, gardening and animals for children).
