LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BY: JORGE ARTURO GÁNDARA GABORIT, APRIL 2019

This year’s 2018 report allows us to see the results of the Foundation’s management through our different Programs and Projects, which have been made possible thanks to the delivery and personal commitment of its almost 800 collaborators, the support of our donors who believe in us, and above all the receptivity of our beneficiaries.

A tree that has no roots or is in poor condition falls, so is the Foundation with respect to its Identity, its nature. If we do not take care of our essence, that is, for what and for whom we are working, the Foundation forgets its very purpose and everything becomes corrupted, either in the short or long term, thus losing the professionalism of a job well done.

The question that our collaborators always ask us in the results and impact of our work assessment is: What changes do we want to make in society? This is asked because of the risk that our efforts are only translated into goal fulfillment and project activities and that we do not see past that. Since reflecting is the synthesis of our actions, we must not lose sight of the journey we are on and what we do in its entirety.

During the closure of a Home Electricity course, I asked the students what the most important thing that they learned was, and one of them said, “respect”, the respect with which he was treated and the respect that was required among one another. Recently, in a visit with a girl who is a scholarship recipient for the Scholarship for Girls project, she made the following observation: “The scholarship is very good, but with FUNDAP the most important thing is that I feel sure that there is someone who is continuously watching over me making sure that I am okay, I feel protected.”

Both examples show us the real identity of the Foundation, what we do for others, and mainly, how we do it. If our initiatives are based on human dignity, in the great value we all have, it is there we will find the strength to continue working towards our hopes and aspirations.

I think that, for those of us who are involved in FUNDAP, we should always keep the following in mind, and that in one way or another, that this be embodied in our ideology:

• Strengthening of Society.
• Be generators of opportunities for the underprivileged.
• Strengthening and developing constructive habits in our beneficiaries.
• Recognition of women’s work, their role in the family, and in society.
• Absolute respect for other people’s way of thinking.
• Our priority is the protection of children and young people and the search for opportunities for them. 
• Our actions must be aimed at strengthening and generating employment.
• Leave communities with production potential so that they are the protagonists of their own development and do not depend on subsidies or misogynistic models.
• Clear and transparent accountability for our donor friends, which includes what they expect from us, in terms of sustainability and the long term scope of the initiatives that we start.

All of the above, in addition to always presenting ourselves with our hearts in hand to “see” the needs of others and act accordingly, should prevail throughout all the years that God gives us, in order to continue working on behalf of those less fortunate.

That is why, without sparing any effort, performing professional work and providing quality service with a human touch, we will be able to honor the more than 35 years of the Foundation’s work. Thus we will approach those who need us the most, fulfilling in this way the dreams and aspirations of all those who are convinced that, step by step, we can build a more just world and have a solid institution with deep, strong roots.

Jorge Arturo Gándara Gaborit.