January 2024
Dear Cofán supporter,
Have we mentioned how grateful we are for your support? We sincerely hope that you feel the love!
We’re writing our “quarterly” update to let you know where things stand with our efforts to provide healthcare to the Cofán and the impact it is having.
Great news – we were able to send a total of $22,500 to the Cofán Survival Fund for the Seguro Campesino healthcare initiative in 2023. This is $2,500 over our goal for the year and puts us that much ahead for 2024! At last count, we are supporting approximately 25% of the total Cofán population. The contributions came directly from you – friends and members of All Peoples, and from the fundraising campaign that we conducted on the UUA “Faithify” site. Congratulations all!
We know we are changing lives. Our efforts have allowed people to see again because of eye surgeries, and walk again, with knee replacement surgery. We’ve funded 3 wellness clinics in villages, which Carlos (our healthcare navigator) arranged and carefully oversaw, and there’s another planned for February! Then there’s the story of a young Cofán man who was hit by a pickup truck on a remote road and left for dead. Another passerby stopped, and realizing the man was alive, managed to summon help. Eventually, Carlos determined that the injured man is enrolled in the Seguro Campesino program, they got him to Quito, and his life was saved. Just this past week, we heard of a Cofán man who has been newly diagnosed with stomach cancer. Because he is enrolled in the program, he will be able to receive treatment and hopefully survive.
We hope that we will be able to bring back many more stories from Ecuador when we go in February. YES, we are traveling to Ecuador on February 18 and returning February 28! Deborah Novgorodoff, Danica Novgorodoff, and Lilly Ignacio are the current members of All Peoples who are traveling. Additionally, two past members – Chris and Dorinda Rife, who returned to Tucson just before the pandemic, will join the trip along with two others for a total of seven travelers. We will be able to observe one of the wellness clinics in the remote village of Chandia Nae. We look forward to bringing back stories, photos and videos!
In 2024, the International Justice Committee at All Peoples will seek some partners to help support this important work. Perhaps with additional congregations involved, we could increase the number of Cofán covered in the Seguro Campesino program to a third or even more of the Cofán population!
We are sure that you have been asked for contributions from all over this past holiday season. But we hope that you will continue your support of this important work in the coming year. Remember that $250 supports an entire family for a year. Contributions can be made by writing a check to All Peoples and placing Cofán in the memo line. We have a couple of supporters who contribute monthly with an automatic withdrawal. Or you (and your friends!) may find it easier to contribute through the AllPeoplesUU.com website – search the Donate button, and then the Cofán tab within that.
All the best, The International Justice Committee at All Peoples
For questions, please write Cofan@allpeoplesuu.com
or contact Deborah Novgorodoff directly (Deborahpotts@me.com), 502-643-0812)