Small Gardens as Self-Help

Landau, 1st July 2020.

In Chile, the number of people infected with Covid 19 is 6,5 times higher than in Germany, the death toll nearly 3 times (2,8). The real numbers are probably even higher. The fight against the pandemic by the Piñera government was deficient from the beginning; the government believed that economic interests had to be put above protective measures. The result is detrimental to both the economy and the health of the population. Chile's health system is on the verge of collapse, with doctors and nurses complaining of a lack of protective clothing and defective equipment. People in many regions are therefore trying to help themselves, erecting roadblocks to protect their villages, and organizing soup kitchens for the poorest of the poor.

In order to show solidarity and support the efforts to help people, the Alliance for the Protection of the Environment, "Alianza Humboldt" (SPHENISCO is part of the Alliance) launched a relief operation for the coastal villages of the municipality of La Higuera. The alliance raises funds to provide especially poor people with the necessities such as potatoes, flour, onions, disinfectant and clothing, as well as salad and vegetable plants to those interested. A picture gallery for the "Small Garden" campaign shows some of the first deliveries and activities.

Unfortunately, SPHENISCO cannot support this action, as the statutes of our organization do not provide for such measures. Some members have therefore personally donated to the "Food and Small Gardens" campaign; SPHENISCO then forwarded the money via Nancy Duman to "Alianza Humboldt". If you would like to support the campaign, you can send a donation to SPHENISCO’s account (account details: Sparkasse Südliche Weinstraße IBAN: DE 98 548500101700139320). Klaus Blumer (our Treasurer) will collect the donations and transfer them to Chile together with other payments in order to minimize the high transfer fee.

W.K.