The Magtel Foundation fosters eco-friendly agriculture among the Cedropampa (Peru) community to boost its socioeconomic development

The project’s goal is to increase the income of 50 families by expanding agricultural production and subsequently selling the products

 

The Magtel Foundation is working on a project to improve water management and to increase agricultural production in Peru’s Cedropampa community. The aim of this initiative is to raise the income of 50 families in the community, currently in extreme poverty, by promoting eco-friendly agriculture and associativism, and improving product commercialization.

The project was launched last December to create a new irrigation system that includes installing an artificial water storage well and building irrigation canals on the communal land. It will also involve working with Cedropampa residents on how to use and maintain this new infrastructure, along with agricultural training.

Additional plans include encouraging locals to plant and restore traditional crops, such as native potato varieties, by using natural compost to improve soil fertility. Thanks to this project, Cedropampa residents will be able to harvest twice yearly as opposed to only once per year.

With this initiative, the Magtel Foundation strives to implement sustainable and environmentally friendly practices that support the socioeconomic development of this community, one of the poorest in the nation. In this sense, the project works on promoting associativismwomen’s empowerment and a stronger commercialization network that will help farmers receive fair prices for their products.

Cedropampa community

This community belongs to the Salcabamba district and is located between the Western and Eastern Ranges of the Andes Mountains, in Peru’s central region. According to the latest census, it is made up of 50 families with limited resources and without access to basic services such as a public water system. However, Cedropampa has a significant amount of water resources and extensive farmland for agriculture.

The project will assist these families, with a special focus on women and girls in light of the discrimination they frequently face. For its execution, the project has a team of professionals who speak Quechua, the residents’ mother tongue, making it easier to communicate and respect the cultural diversity.

Participating entities

The initiative is funded by the Córdoba Provincial Council and backed by the Magtel Foundation, which provides the technical consulting needed to manage and execute the project, along with the experience obtained in similar water cycle management projects. The local counterparts in Peru include the Proyecto Solidario por la Infancia and the Salcabamba municipality as the local partner to which Cedropampa residents belong.

A participatory project

The project’s design has had a strong participatory nature because it resulted from a preliminary analysis performed by the entities involved, in which Cedropampa’s residents expressed their needs and proposed solutions. The main issues it aims to address are the limited resources among families, the minimal involvement of women in the community’s local development and the insufficient access to water for irrigation purposes.

This project is an extension of the work started in 2016 in Cedropampa, also in conjunction with the Córdoba Provincial Council. That project made it possible to create an Irrigation Committee and train 30 mothers. The second phase aimed at improving the irrigation, production and commercialization systems remained pending, although it is currently underway.

 

The Magtel Foundation and Adecco have organized a microcomputing and networks course, as part of a program by the Telefónica Foundation and Gypsy Secretariat, for 18 people at risk of social exclusion

  • Magtel Foundation technicians are the instructors of a training initiative aimed at improving the employability of participants
  • Adecco, in turn, will provide students with hands-on training at companies

The Magtel Foundation, alongside the human resources company Adecco, has begun teaching a microcomputing and networks course at its Córdoba headquarters, as part of a training program organized by the Telefónica Foundation and the Gypsy Secretariat Foundation. The Magtel Foundation teaches this initiative aimed at improving the employability of vulnerable groups

Specifically, the training initiative was launched with a total of 18 participants who had completed secondary education or basic vocational training, and had high skill levels for employment.

Each course, consisting of 570 hours, combines conceptual education and technical hands-on skills training, along with individual psychological-social support and tutoring for internships that take place upon completing the course. In this sense, the Magtel Foundation coordinates with partner companies to assist students throughout the job placement process, and Adecco finds internships for students at companies in order to improve their employability and assist with job searches. The course content also includes a module on occupational risk prevention in addition to cross-curricular information linked to defending rights, interculturalism and equality.

Training for a growing sector 

In addition to the course taught by the Magtel Foundation and Adecco in Córdoba, the Telefónica Foundation and the Gypsy Secretariat Foundation have also coordinated the program in Alicante, Albacete, Linares, Granada and Valladolid. The organizations believe that “with this training, students will be qualified to assist companies and users with operating PCs, printers, smartphones, tablets and other mainstream computer equipment, while learning the basic concepts of telecommunications networks.”

The curriculum was defined by the organizers based on the yearly growth experienced by the microcomputing sector in terms of its demand for professionals due to the extended use of technology in our everyday lives and in all types of businesses and operations.

The partnership between the two entities falls within the Gypsy Secretariat’s efforts to develop personalized job placement itineraries for gypsies and other vulnerable groups through its “Acceder” program, which is jointly financed by the Operations Program for social inclusion and the social economy, and the European Social Fund’s Operations Program for youth employment.

The Magtel Foundation participates in the #ForoInsertaExpansión on employment and disability

  • Auxiliadora López Magdaleno, the entity’s president, participated in a round table on “the combination of talent, disability and diversity”

The Magtel Foundation has participated in the seventh #ForoInsertaExpansión, a meeting within the “Employment and Diversity” cycle organized by the business newspaper Expansión, the ONCE Foundation and Inserta, aimed at advancing corporate leadership through the inclusion of workers with disabilitiesAuxiliadora López Magdaleno, the entity’s president, participated in a round table on “the combination of talent, disability and diversity” alongside the wheelchair tennis player Cisco García.

Moderated by Rafael Porras, Expansión’s representative in Andalusia, the president of the Magtel Foundation spoke with the tennis player about the positive impact of employees with functional diversity on a company’s workforce and therefore its productivity. In this sense, López Magdaleno shared a few real-life Magtel examples and highlighted the work of the Magtel Foundation in supporting this group’s insertion in the job market.

Held in Seville and geared towards human resources directors, the latest #ForoInsertaExpansión featured Antonio Sanz, Deputy Minister of the President’s Office, Government and the Regional Government of Andalusia; Agustín González, General Secretary of Andalusian Employment and Freelance Work; Virginia Carcedo, General Secretary of Inserta Empleo; Jorge Ramos, Director of the San Telmo International Institute; Manuel Carlos Alba, Director of the Legal and Labor Relations Department at CEA; Francisco López, Regional Director of Andalusia’s Inserta Empleo; and Cristóbal Martín, Regional Delegate at ONCE.

The “Corporate and Diversity” cycle that houses #ForoInsertaExpansión forms part of the Social Inclusion and Social Economy Operations Program that the ONCE Foundation carries out through Inserta, with joint financing from the European Social Fund.

The Magtel Foundation installs its Terapiam system at Aprofis with the support of the Cajasur Foundation

  • The platform, developed alongside Magtel’s R&D&i division, uses augmented reality techniques for the rehabilitation of people with motor disorders

The Magtel Foundation has implemented a Terapiam system at the Aprofis Nuevos Pasos facility, an association that works to integrate Montalbán (Córdoba) residents who have physical and psychological disorders. The platform, aimed at improving the physical conditionpersonal autonomy and cognitive stimulation of people with motor disorders, has been installed at the association’s headquarters thanks to financial assistance from the Cajasur Foundation.

Terapiam is a system developed by the Magtel Foundation and Magtel’s R&D&i division to help people relearn balance and how to walk when, for biomechanical or neurophysiological reasons, they lack full physical autonomy to remain upright. Its main purpose is to simulate physical therapy sessions in an interactive context created using augmented reality techniques.

Designed for minors and adults with physical and intellectual functional diversity, the device features interactive games based on virtual reality to perform motor and cognitive exercises, as well as a tool to assist with therapy. It also targets stimuli and visual self-control, and fosters short- and medium-term motivation.

The partnership between the entities involved was announced at the Aprofis headquarters during an event attended by Miguel Ruz, Mayor of MontalbánJuan Miguel Luque, Director of the Social Innovation and Aid Program at the Cajasur Foundation; and Adrián Fernández, Director of the Magtel Foundation.

The Magtel Foundation helps bring the Inspiring Girls movement to Córdoba

With the theme “Girls without limits, Córdoba’s future” (Niñas sin límites, cordobesas del futuro), the goal is to boost the professional aspirations and self-esteem of girls 

As a local partner, the Magtel Foundation is helping to bring the Inspiring Girls international movement to Córdoba. With the theme “Girls without limits, Córdoba’s future,” a meeting was held in the Córdoba Provincial Council between women who work in various professions and girls from a number of educational centers.

The aim is to stimulate the professional aspirations, occupational expectations and self-esteem of girls by drawing attention to the wide array of professions and jobs that exist. Ten women professionals from various fields shared their professional experience with more than 80 female fourth-year ESO students through speed networking in which they interacted with participants and answered questions about their day-to-day work, barriers they have encountered, work-life balance, etc.

This was followed by an institutional event attended by Marta Pérez Dorao, President of the Inspiring Girls Foundation, along with other institutional representatives and Auxiliadora López Magdaleno, President of the Magtel Foundation.

Some of the volunteers who participated in the Córdoba project are Socorro Fernández, Executive Director of the consulting firm Justnow; Celia Jiménez, Head Chef and owner of Celia Jiménez Restaurant; and Belén Recio, a Spanish athlete who competed 17 times internationally for her country.

The Magtel Foundation has wanted to support this initiative as part of the commitment of its Board of Trustees towards equal opportunities. In addition to the Magtel Foundation, the local partners of Inspiring Girls in Córdoba also include Pecomark, Grupo Puma, Aceitunas Torrent, Tressis, Nicava and York Tefl.

Inspiring Girls

The foundation was created three years ago in the United Kingdom by a Spanish lawyer, Miriam Gonzalez Durántez. Since then, more than 500,000 girls have participated in 50 events and learned from 25,000 volunteer professionals in the United Kingdom alone. Following this successful implementation, the team is currently working on expanding the foundation’s efforts to nine other countries, including Spain.

The Teleasistenci@TIC++ project created by the Magtel Foundation and Magtel’s R&D&i division strives to improve the quality of life of senior citizens and dependents

The President of the Instituto Municipal de Desarrollo Económico y Empleo (Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment), Mar Téllez, visited the Magtel Foundation today to learn how the platform operates

The Magtel Foundation is developing Teleasistenci@TIC++ in collaboration with Magtel’s R&D&i division. The project’s goal is to assist senior citizens and dependents through the use of information and communications technology (ICT).

Specifically, this initiative involves designing and launching a website platform and mobile app to handle emergencies and streamline Active Participation Centers for Senior Citizens (APC). It enables users to self-manage their remote assistance needs and use the various features, such as sending notifications to family members or confirming enrollment in APC activities, among other aspects.

Teleasistenci@TIC++ is backed by the Instituto Municipal de Desarrollo Económico y Empleo (Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment of Córdoba, IMDEEC), whose president, Mar Téllez, visited the Magtel Foundation today to learn how the platform operates. This support, through its Annual Call for Subsidies for Non-Profit Entities, has made it possible to hire a computer engineer so as to continue working on developing this tool.

During the project’s presentation for the president of IMDEEC, the Director of the Magtel Foundation, Adrián Fernández, stressed the entity’s firm commitment “towards addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups by applying technology and innovation.

On her behalf, Téllez pointed out that “Teleasistenci@tic++ is an excellent example of how innovative entrepreneurship can improve people’s quality of life by leveraging the potential of new technologies to help care for dependents in their own home.”

With this project, the Magtel Foundation is working to supplement traditional remote assistance services by offering the possibility to perform routine tasks with normalcy, inside and outside a user’s home, facilitating two-way communication between users and the Active Participation Centers (APC). Through Teleasistenci@TIC++, the entity promotes the active aging concept, improves the quality of life of senior citizens and dependents, and encourages personal autonomy.

Teleasistenci@TIC++ is being developed by the Magtel Foundation as the next phase of Teleasistenci@TIC+, a project backed by the Regional Government of Andalusia’s Department of Equality, Health and Social Policies, and submitted with the aim of reducing the “technology gap” between senior citizens and dependents.

More than 80 people with disabilities have undergone rehabilitation and physical therapy sessions using augmented reality techniques.

The TERAPIAM project developed by the Magtel Foundation has completed more than 1,100 sessions to support the work of therapists and physical therapists.

More than 80 people with disabilities have undergone rehabilitation and physical therapy sessions through the TERAPIAM interactive program. This initiative uses augmented reality techniques and a motion capture system to improve the autonomy of people with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Specifically, TERAPIAM enables therapists and physical therapists to perform their regular work by completing rehabilitation sessions using this technological device. It places users in an entertaining setting, similar to that of a video game, and using an avatar, they become the protagonist of their own therapy.

This program has scheduled more than 1,100 sessions involving the 18 activities available in TERAPIAM. Through the use of numbers, colors and sounds, participants complete the exercises and repetitions specified in their rehabilitation treatment.

This increases the user’s motivationconcentration and level of effort. In fact, based on the results obtained, the level at which users perform routines improves in terms of the score obtained and the times required as the sessions progress.

TERAPIAM is geared towards people with functional physical and intellectual diversity who are over the age of six, as well as older segments. Its aim is to improve physical conditioning, cognitive stimulation and, overall, encourage personal autonomy.

This project is funded by the Regional Government of Andalusia’s Department of Equality and Social Policies as part of the call covered by the 0.7% personal income tax allocation. It was developed in coordination with Codisa-Predif and Fepamic, where the TERAPIAM device was installed and worked on with users over the last four months.

During the results presentation, the Director of the Magtel Foundation, Adrián Fernández, highlighted the entity’s commitment “to social innovation and using technology to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.” On her behalf, the Delegate for Equality, Health and Social Policies pointed out that “all the resources are important, so with the goal of encouraging personal autonomy, the Regional Government of Andalusia supports any initiative that helps to build a better and more equal society.

A constantly evolving project

TERAPIAM was created in 2016 by the Magtel Foundation and Magtel’s R&D&i division. During the initial phase, it was classified as a General Interest Project that Fosters Social Job Creation by the Regional Government of Andalusia, leading the Magtel Foundation to hire a multidisciplinary team of ten qualified professionals with knowledge of unemployment.

Throughout its execution, it has been backed by three Córdoba associations that work with people with disabilities—Asociación Cordobesa de Parálisis Cerebral (ACPACYS, Córdoba Cerebral Palsy Association), Asociación de Parkinson de Córdoba (APARCOR, Córdoba Parkinson’s Association) and Asociación Cordobesa de Esclerosis Múltiple (ACODEM, Córdoba Multiple Sclerosis Association)—and supported by the Instituto Municipal de Desarrollo Económico y Empleo de Córdoba (IMDEEC, Córdoba Municipal Institute for Economic Development and Employment).

TERAPIAM is continuously evolving and improving with new features that make it possible to adapt the proposed routines and activities to user needs.

The Magtel Foundation receives a 2019 Andalusian Telecommunications Award

  • The Andalusian Association of Telecommunications Engineers and the Association of Telecommunications Engineers of Western Andalusia and Ceuta has honored the entity for its Fiber to the Home Technician training program geared towards vulnerable groups
  • More than 600 people received training on fiber optic network deployment, and over 60% have found a job

The Magtel Foundation has received one of the 2019 Andalusian Telecommunications Awards, which are handed out each year by the Western Andalusia Association of Telecommunications Engineers (ASITANO) alongside the Association of Telecommunications Engineers of Western Andalusia and Ceuta (COITAOC) at the Telecommunications Evening.

Specifically, the jury honored the entity with the Special Solidarity Project Award for its Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Technician training program. The initiative, geared towards vulnerable groups, promotes their social and occupational integration through training in the area of telecommunications, one of the sectors with the strongest growth and with the most opportunities for jobs and development.

The Magtel Foundation operates the Fiber Optic to the Home (FTTH) Technician itinerary as part of one of its biggest lines of action: improving the employability of people at risk of or experiencing social exclusion. During this period, more than 600 people received training on fiber optic network deployment, and over 60% have found a job. When picking up the award, Auxiliadora López Magdaleno, President of the Magtel Foundation, thanked the public, private and social entities for their involvement in achieving these results. She dedicated the award to the participants, who “are fully committed to making the most of this opportunity, despite facing challenging circumstances.”

At the 2019 Andalusian Telecommunications AwardsASITANO and COITAOC also honored the work of the multinational technology company Orange, the Seville startup Bitnami, and Loreto del Valle Cebada, the General Director of Digital Economy and Innovation for the Regional Government of Andalusia. The awards ceremony was held in conjunction with the 17th Telecommunications and Information Society Evening, an event backed by leading industry companies: AlcatelCellnex, CiscoHuaweiMagtelOrangeTelefónicaVodafoneAxiansCheck PointEveris, Informática El Corte InglésRed HatSemiPalo AltoAxionCaja de IngenierosGabitelGrupo ICAIngenia and Sistelec.

Andalusian Telecommunications Awards

The Andalusian Telecommunications Awards honor the work of professionals, companies and entities that stand out in their efforts to drive innovation and the knowledge society, while also taking into consideration regional and national productive sectors as well as society in general.

Every year, ASITANO and COITAOC host an awards ceremony as part of the Telecommunications and Information Society Evening held in Seville’s Navigation Pavilion. The event brings together professionals, agents, companies, entities and government bodies from the ICT sector in a setting centered around facing future technological challenges.

The Magtel Foundation participates in a project to improve the crop and irrigation systems for the Cedropampa community in Peru

The initiative financed by the Córdoba Provincial Council is the result of a partnership between the Posadas City Government, the Proyecto Solidario por la Infancia – Peru and the Salcabamba municipality.

The Magtel Foundation is participating in a project to improve the crop systems used in Peru’s Cedropampa community. The aim is to provide 15 families with the necessary equipment and training to install a sprinkler irrigation system in their small agricultural operations.

Thanks to this initiative, Cedropampa residents will be able to increase production by harvesting twice yearly as opposed to only once per year. This will enable members to earn more money, thereby lowering the social exclusion levels of this village, one of the poorest in the Andean nation.

The planned actions are aligned with the community’s traditional practices and the Andean world view promoted by the harmonious and positive relationship between nature, humans and Mother Earth. As part of this project, efforts are made to train farmers, use natural compost and restore traditional crops.

Additionally, the “Cedropampa Irrigation Committee” was created by the community’s Quechua women. This community organization is backed by the Salcabamba municipality. Female participants are receiving training and technical assistance on how to manage and maintain the irrigation systems, as well as on the efficient use of water. This strengthens the social and active presence of women in rural areas along with their role in local governance, and it also helps reduce gender inequality.

Cedropampa community

Cedropampa belongs to the Salcabamba district and is located between the Western and Eastern Ranges of the Andes Mountains, in Peru’s central region. According to the 2007 census, this village is made up of approximately 100 families with limited resources and without access to basic services such as a public water system. However, Cedropampa has a significant amount of water resources and extensive farmland for agriculture that require a project of this type to optimize their use.

The project gave priority to 15 indigenous families, with a special focus on women and girls in light of the discrimination they frequently face. Additionally, there was always a team of professionals who speak Quechua, the residents’ mother tongue, making it easier to communicate and respect the cultural diversity.

Participating entities

The project to improve shared water use is the result of efforts by the Posadas City Government and the Magtel Foundation. The local partners in Peru are the Proyecto Solidario por la Infancia and the Salcabamba municipality to which Cedropampa residents belong. Funding is provided by the Córdoba Provincial Council as part of its 2016 call for International Cooperation for Development.

The Magtel Foundation provides the technical consulting needed for the project’s management and execution, along with the experience obtained by its parent company, Magtel, in similar water cycle management projects.

Preliminary analysis

The joint effort of the Spanish and Peruvian entities resulted in a preliminary analysis of the situation. The main issues identified were the limited resources among families, the minimal involvement of women in the community’s local development and the insufficient access to water for irrigation purposes.

Using this analysis, a project was designed that would address these needs, taking into consideration the proposals received from the Salcabamba community, which was actively involved in the project, and from the participating public and private institutions.

The Magtel Foundation and the Peru Solidarity Project train 50 families from Peru’s Cuenca district on what to do in the event of a natural disaster

The results of this project, which is financed by the Seville City Government, were presented at the Cooperation Meeting for Non-Volunteers held in Hogar Virgen de los Reyes

The Magtel Foundation has teamed up with the Peru Solidarity Project to carry out the initiative “Support, prevention and risk mitigation in Andean communities affected by strong rainfall in Cuenca (Peru).” The main goal of this project is to provide 50 families living in extreme poverty with guidelines and basic infrastructures that will enable them to face natural disasters more safely.

The results of this initiative, which is backed and financed by the Seville City Government, were presented at the Cooperation Meeting for Non-Volunteers held in Hogar Virgen de los Reyes. The event was attended by the Director of the Seville City Council’s Cooperation Service, Macarena Smith, and the Project Coordinator, Rocío Ciero.

Aid for more than 180 people

The Cuenca region is frequently affected by high levels of rainfall that cause flooding and landslides with serious consequences for the community. In fact, local homes, small agricultural operations and the nearby school were seriously damaged by a recent Cuenca landslide. This is in addition to the emotional damage to the more than 180 members of these communities. All of these factors contributed towards putting into motion this humanitarian initiative.

To help alleviate the situation, the project focused on two aspects. The first was to teach families techniques for preventing, preparing for and effectively responding to natural disasters with the aim of improving the safety, resilience and sustainability of these communities. This involved psychological therapy and emotional recovery initiatives, particularly for children, following the latest natural disasters in the region. There were also two early response simulations that made it possible to put into practice the knowledge acquired.

The second line of work focused on building infrastructures and utilities that would restore basic living conditions for the families participating in the project. The measures implemented include installing an artificial well that enables locals to store rainwater that can later be used for crop irrigation during periods of drought. Seeds and organic compost have been provided to 50 female heads of household to help restore their agricultural fields, which were seriously damaged and even destroyed by rain.

Other initiatives include building 50 eco-friendly greenhouses (each measuring 86 ft2 / 8 m2) to help families supply their own food and sustain themselves, as well as 50 livestock modules to raise guinea pigs and chickens in stables adapted to the Andean culture.

Cuenca district

The Cuenca community is located in the Huancavelica province, in the heart of Peru’s South-Central Range and approximately 9,840 feet (3,000 meters) above sea level. It has a population of 392 residents, mostly women and children with limited resources. In fact, at least 50% are malnourished and forced to begin working at an early age, resulting in elevated school dropout rates. The main economic activity primarily consists of livestock and subsistence agriculture, which must be restored so families may support themselves.

To carry out the project, 50 Quechua families were selected—for a total of 188 people (49 boys, 41 girls, 48 men and 50 women)—and work was done alongside 10 local authorities and 6 civil defense entities.  Additionally, there was always a team of professionals who speak Quechua, the residents’ mother tongue, making it easier to communicate and respect the cultural diversity.

Encuentro de Cooperación Internacional para no Cooperantes de Fundación Magtel

Participating entities

The “Support, prevention and risk mitigation in Andean communities affected by high rainfall in Cuenca (Peru)” project is the result of a partnership between the Magtel Foundation and the Proyecto Solidario por la Infancia as its local counterpart in Peru, with funding from the Seville City Government (Office of Equality, Youth and Relations with the University Community for Development Cooperation).

The Magtel Foundation provides technical consulting and experience from its parent company, Magtel, which has completed water cycle management projects. For this initiative, in addition to coordinating the project, it has also provided an engineer with experience in technology, geomembranes, wells and greenhouses, who has ensured the correct technical execution.