26-06-2024 | di COOPI

Venezuela. Improving Living Conditions in Coporito through the ECHO project

In the remote community of Coporito, located in the Delta Amacuro State of Venezuela, COOPI, as leader of CONAHVE (Consortium for Humanitarian Assistance in Venezuela), is wrapping up the project "Multisectoral Humanitarian Assistance to Address the Urgent Needs of the Most Vulnerable Population in Venezuela", which started in June 2022 in the areas of Distrito Capital, Miranda, Lara, Sucre, Delta Amacuro, Falcon y Zulia This project, funded by the European Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), aims to enhance water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions, address human trafficking, and promote sexual and reproductive health protection with the support of our partners.

Delta Amacuro is a challenging region characterized by its extensive network of rivers and dense jungle, which make it geographically isolated. The communities here rely heavily on the rivers for transportation and drinking water, which increases the risk of diseases. To address these challenges, COOPI implemented a multisectoral approach to ensure access to clean water and proper sanitation in Coporito. Additionally, 14 health and community centers were rehabilitated, benefiting 31,077 people (24,670 women, 6,351 men, and 56 of other genders) across Delta Amacuro, Sucre, and Bolívar states.

Yelitza Cotúa, coordinator of the Popular Ambulatory Center in Coporito, walked us through the facilities of the center and shared her experience.

After years of neglect, access to water and infrastructure improvements have revitalized the center and improved the community’s access to health services”

Rehabilitating the center has been vital in enhancing the infrastructure and providing a safer environment: improved access to water has allowed residents to rely on this essential resource, and infrastructure improvements have encouraged the community to use the center more frequently, making it a pivotal spot for community activities and health services.

From a humid an unhealthy environment, now the center serves as a crucial community gathering point”

Yelitza explains.

The project not only provided immediate solutions, but also laid the foundation for long-term sustainable development. Our work in Coporito, as well as in other parts of Delta Amacuro, Sucre, and Bolívar, demonstrates how well-planned initiatives can transform lives and communities. Infrastructure rehabilitation, hygiene education, the promotion of sexual and reproductive health protection, and support for trafficking victims have significantly impacted our efforts.

Since 2018, COOPI remains dedicated to improving living conditions in Venezuela. The project in Coporito is part of a wider effort to respond to the ongoing severe humanitarian crisis in the country, using a multi-sectoral approach aimed at localizing the humanitarian response to facilitate access and make interventions more sustainable. In Venezuela, COOPI promotes and strengthens the resilience of local communities, combining humanitarian response, rehabilitation and development and carrying out targeted interventions in gender-based violence and Human Trafficking, Health, Water, Hygiene and sanitation and Livelihoods. Community engagement, technical assistance and strengthening of national organizations and local communities is what characterizes COOPI approach.