Asociación Fénix

AsoFénix’s goal is to provide a community with the skills necessary to begin to develop themselves using their own resources.  Normally, AsoFénix enters a community through a large project that meets a community need using renewable energy.  These projects have included community wide potable water systems using solar powered pumps and electrification of homes using micro-hydro turbines and individual solar panels.  Once the large projects are completed, we continue to work with an established committee and provide them with trainings and opportunities to help their community.  Since the committee is our partner, we are committed to working with them until all the needs of their community have been met.  We also recognize what each committee and leader brings to AsoFénix and endeavor to utilize their skills in our future projects.

At the start of each project, AsoFénix works within the current leadership structure of the community either with the current committee if one is present and functioning well or holding public elections to select a committee.  The committee is our local partner and will be our link to the community not only through the project, but during the future as well.  During the initial project the committee is in charge of organizing labor, collecting funds, installation of system, and helping us deal with any problems that arise.

Each project requires that the entire community support the project financially and physically, which will help them become invested in the long term sustainability of the project.  The project belongs to the community and without their current and future support the project will fail.  Working with the community throughout the project, also provides us with the opportunity to find out which people are the most motivated and capable of helping develop their community.

Upon completion of the project, we work with those individuals who have demonstrated their motivation and ability to work with us in future develop of the community.  We then provide training for these individuals to give them the skills and opportunities necessary to organize their community, resolve conflicts, encounter the needs of the community and provide them with resources to meet these needs.   Typical follow-up projects will work to improve the community in areas such as: income generation, improved health and nutrition, gender equality, environmental stewardship, and education.