The Active Communities Fund from Comunalia, the Alliance of Community Foundations in Mexico, and the Coca-Cola Foundation has begun work, starting with disbursing $151,000 to various humanitarian projects promoting the social and economic reactivation of communities in Mexico.

Right now, the Active Communities Fund is supporting 11 projects working in the states of Nuevo León, Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Chihuahua, Sonora, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Baja California and Querétaro.

Serving an estimated 81,000 people, the projects funded by the Active Communities Fund will address financial, food, and medical needs for those whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the effects of Covid-19.

Disinfecting surfaces in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico. Photo credit: Carl Campbell/Flickr.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on Mexico and many of the surrounding countries in Latin America. The outbreak hit furiously in the spring and continued for months, plateauing at an alarmingly high level. The death toll from Covid-19 is currently the fourth-highest in the world – the official tally is at 70,000 with likely tens of thousands more uncounted.

Comunalia hopes to use its network of community foundations to reach as many as possible through their Active Communities Fund.

Agustín Landa, Comunalia president, commented previously: ‘Among the strengths of Community Foundations, their role as network-builders, and their ease for establishing alliances with different actors for the construction of local solutions the regeneration, and the stability of their communities stand out.’