At Aurania, we believe that health and safety are critical to our success. Along with knowledge and vision, they are what strong organizational foundations are built upon. The health and safety of our team along with that of each and every person we work with on a daily basis including local communities, service providers and other stakeholders, is very important to us.
Education
Education
In collaboration with Radio Kiruba, Aurania started broadcasting daily programs about how to minimize the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus in mid-February, 2020. The information that was broadcasted was derived from official information made available by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health.
Information bulletins from the Ministry of Health were translated into the Shuar language and printed versions were disseminated in accessible communities. This information was also broadcasted via radio. Radio Kiruba has an estimated audience of 50,000 people in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Humanitarian Aid
In collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of the Canton of Santiago de Mendez, supplies were delivered to support the families of patients that were in COVID-related isolation centres. This aid included some much-needed basic equipment such as a clothing washer and dryer so that bedding could be washed daily.
Food Deliveries
In mid-March 2020, the federal and provincial governments enacted strict regulations in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19. Travel restrictions complicated the delivery of produce to markets from isolated communities and most jobs were suspended. In response to the crisis that was developing in the Cordillera de Cutucu, Aurania made two deliveries of food:
The first delivery was made between April 3 and 6, 2020, and involved providing 8 tonnes of dried food (rice, beans and lentils principally) to 970 families in 44 communities in and around the Lost Cities Project area;
The second delivery, made between April 27 and 29, 2020, involved the distribution of 10 tonnes of dried food to 1,292 families in 49 communities. This delivery was made with assistance from the Ministry of Social Inclusion; the military helped with the transport of food and goods in both cases.
Joint Efforts with the Local and Provincial Governments
Ammonia-based disinfectant was sprayed in homes within the communities that were categorized as high-risk due to the high volume of through-traffic. Through its subsidiary, Aurania worked with the Municipality of Santiago de Mendez in the sanitization of homes for 355 families in ten communities.
300 Rapid (COVID) Test kits were donated to the Provincial Government in Morona Santiago so that high-risk communities could be evaluated.
Aurania implemented a stringent COVID-19 – related protocol for its back-to-work planning.
