Da luz y bienestar 2022

In 2016, Fundación Soriana set out to improve the living conditions of communities characterized by a high degree of marginalization and poverty. Since then, more than 1,000 people from the states of Veracruz, Chihuahua, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Yucatán have already benefited. “Da luz y bienestar 2022” builds on the work of this project and is aimed at helping the community of Paso Limón.

Located in Chiapas, Mexico, Paso Limón is a community of 80 people and 23 families. The entire population is currently without electricity in their homes and use flashlights, rechargeable or battery-operated bulbs, rechargeable lamps, or candles to light their homes.

Likewise, none of the homes have potable water and many of the rooms in the houses still have mud floors. Paso Limón has a pre-school and elementary school with 21 students, and the main sources of income are fishing and agriculture.

To install solar panels in 23 homes and the two schools, while also providing all families in the community with eco-friendly stoves and water filters. Furthermore, all rooms that still have mud floors will be replaced with adequate flooring.

From November 10-13, 2022, volunteers from the Fundación Amara NextGen Riverstone, PYR Energy, in collaboration with the Fundación Soriana and the installation company PROSA, traveled to the community of Paso Limón.

The volunteers first arrived at the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the state of Chiapas, before continuing the journey by road the next day. The final leg involved catching a boat to Paso Limón, where the inhabitants were waiting to give them a warm welcome.

On the first day, once the equipment arrived, the inhabitants helped the group of installers and engineers to unload the materials and distribute them to the respective homes.

The installation of isolated systems was carried out over the next two days, with the sole objective of bringing electricity to each of the homes. On the third day, various activities were organized with the inhabitants and volunteers from all the foundations. They visited the 23 families to show all the work they had done, which included installing new water filters, eco-friendly stoves, new floors in some houses, and photovoltaic systems in all the houses.

The inhabitants were also trained to use the water filters properly before planting a number of trees in community areas. The workers then organized games with the youngest members of the community, before handing out food, school materials, and toys. Finally, all that was left to do was to turn on the lights in the houses. After this, the volunteers returned to Tuxtla, before continuing their journeys home the following morning.

The "Da luz y bienestar 2022" project enabled the installation of photovoltaic systems that supply energy to all the homes in Paso Limón, improving the quality of life of its inhabitants. The families now have water filters to make local sources safe to drink, avoiding illnesses caused by inefficient sanitation. They also now have eco-stoves for their kitchens, which are more environmentally friendly.