The energy company Iberdrola Mexico announced on Wednesday the “Build to Educate” project will rebuild 50 schools affected by the 2017 earthquakes in the southern state of Oaxaca, where it will invest 80 million pesos (4.1 million dollars) to benefit 10,000 students.
“In this project we will rebuild schools damaged by the earthquakes because the priority is for children to return to school, and return to school in decent conditions to learn and have a better future,” said Enrique Alba, director general of Iberdrola Mexico, before the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin).
The earthquakes on September 7 and 19, 2017 caused damage to more than 4,000 campuses in Oaxaca, of which only 45% have been rebuilt, according to the entity’s Government.
In addition, in the Tehuantepec Isthmus area alone, 65,000 homes were affected and 20,000 were completely destroyed, out of a total of 180,000 registered, said Alejandro Murat, governor of Oaxaca.
Given this disaster and in response to the call of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for greater social investment, especially in the south and southeast of the country, Alba stressed that Iberdrola Mexico has five social projects since last September for a total of over $140 million pesos (7.2 million dollars).
In the region, Alba said, in addition to “Build to Educate”, the company has two other projects: STEM Boost, which brings young people to the study of science and technology, and Urological Brigades, which benefits 360 people with free surgeries in Oaxaca, where it operates four wind farms.
Francisco Cervantes, president of the Concamin, said that these actions will contribute to the fulfillment of the Oaxaca Pact, signed in August by Mexican industrialists, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and nine governors from the south and southeast of the country, where the infrastructure is intended to be developed regionally.
“There are several important surprises for the whole south, southeast, to reduce this lag in the country, especially to balance growth, fight poverty and also bring industry, natural gas, fiber optics and especially energy,” said the industrial leader.
As an example, Cervantes recalled that Iberdrola promised to invest in Mexico $5 million dollars during this six-year period (2018-2024) and that “expectations have been exceeded.”