Developing a community through its marketplace: In the town of "El Guasmo", Guayaquil, Ecuador, a partnership establishes a community center that becomes an engine for growth

In: Grassroots development: journal of the Inter-American Foundation, Band 22, Heft 1, S. 17-21

Abstract

Major cities in Latin America suffer from a phenomenon of rapid, uncontrolled urbanization caused by massive immigration of the poor from the countryside. To address these problems, the Spanish organization "Fundacion de Cooperacion al Desarrollo y Promocion de Actividades Asistenciales" (CODESPA) developed an innovative approach: It created a string of "Centros de Desarrollo Integral Comunitarios" (CDIC). More than just a marketplace, these centers not only provide basic services at cut-rate prices to barrio families, but are an engine of development in the community - an engine fueled by the participation of barrio residents themselves. (Grassroots Dev/DÜI)