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USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance together with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sponsored a three-day regional Hurricane Simulation Exercise (SIMEX) in El Salvador June 11-13, with representatives from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Colombia, who work for Caritas, a global confederation of 165 Catholic organizations working in humanitarian emergencies and international development.
The SIMEX was part of the EMPOWER (Empowering Partner Organizations Working on Emergency Responses) project activities, which builds local organizations’ capacity to reduce disaster risk and respond in times of disaster.
The exercise included sessions on anticipatory action, weather forecasting tools, composition and distribution of emergency kits, review of preparedness and response plans, and practical simulations on actions before, during and after the impact of a hurricane. Activities helped improve the coordination and effectiveness of emergency response in the region, promoting cooperation and resilience in affected communities.
Implemented by CRS, EMPOWER promotes the leadership of humanitarian response by local organizations that have nationwide coverage. EMPOWER focuses on three strategic areas: coordination at the local, national and regional levels; institutional strengthening of local partners to better manage humanitarian responses; and greater access to humanitarian funding for local partners.
“The SIMEX is part of a broader accompaniment from EMPOWER that allows partners to identify strengths and areas of improvement on their processes for emergency response, particularly hurricanes, through very practical exercises using realistic scenarios. The lessons learned from testing out their plans in this exercise and the exchanges with other partners with a wide range of experiences, allow partners to improve their emergency response plans, which include a series of detailed actions agreed upon in the different phases – from preparedness to 72 hours before impact, the first 48 hours after impact and the first weeks after the impact,” said Isabel Martins, Emergency Program Quality and Management Technical Adviser for EMPOWER in Central America and Mexico.
USAID continues to prepare for what may be one of the worst hurricane seasons on record to keep communities in the region safe. Heavy rains that pounded El Salvador between June 15-22 showed the increasing need for disaster preparedness and response in order to save lives and protect private and public infrastructure.
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Launch of the Business Process Management System for the El Salvador National Directorate of Medicines
USAID and the El Salvador National Directorate of Medicines (DNM) launched a new online system to improve and streamline sanitary procedures for the pharmaceutical industry, legal representatives, and related companies.
USAID supported the DNM in the development of the Business Process Management (BPM) system, which is used for the sanitary registration of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemicals, establishments, and proxies. The system allows the DNM to offer more transparent services and reduce response times for companies requesting sanitary registrations to sell and import their products.
Previously, in order to start the process, users had to go to the DNM facilities during working hours to pay the fees for their procedures, then go to the bank to pay and then return to the DNM with the payment receipt, which could take half a day or more, generating additional expenses in time and travel time. Now, companies in the pharmaceutical and related products sector can manage their registrations or procedures from anywhere with a device connected to the Internet and the process will take less than 15 minutes.
Thanks to the BPM system and the improved registration modules, some 17,000 users from laboratories, pharmacies, drugstores, and other related sectors have benefited from this computerized system. The combined efforts of USAID and the DNM seek to facilitate efficient and transparent trade, which will contribute to job creation and economic growth in the country.
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Female Migrant Entrepreneurs Commemorate World Environment Day
More than 50 female migrant entrepreneurs attended the “Women doing Business and Promoting Sustainable Development” forum, sponsored by the Network of Businesswomen and Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development Association (AREED), with support from USAID and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), on June 1.
In commemoration of World Environment Day, which is celebrated on June 5, the forum helped migrant entrepreneurs in Costa Rica to implement environmentally friendly business practices and included a donation of trees by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute.
Cindy Quesada, Minister for the Status of Women, and Isis Orozco, Program Coordinator of IOM Costa Rica, attended the forum. In addition, expert panelists shared their knowledge on entrepreneurship promotion and environmental protection.
Subsequently, on June 9, 25 female migrant entrepreneurs successfully exhibited their products at an environmentally friendly market fair held at the Amusement Park in Costa Rica.
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Graduation Ceremony of the Integrated Border Management Academy
A group of 28 officials from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala completed training in customs, agriculture, internal taxes, sanitary records, and economics and trade to strengthen their capacities as leaders and drivers of continuous improvement in border operations.
USAID, the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported the training that included topics on coordinated border management, management skills, international trade, economic integration and trade facilitation. During 28 days, the officials shared and exchanged experiences through theoretical and practical sessions, field visits and workshops, putting their creativity and learning into action.
The main objective of the course is to streamline border operations and provide more efficient services through greater collaboration between border control agencies to reduce crossing times.
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A Million Meters Away: The Adventures of Paco and Clari
This is the third chapter of the animated series “A Million Meters Away: The Adventures of Paco and Clari” to raise awareness about the risks of irregular migration and generate spaces for dialogue on the subject. This is an initiative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and USAID under the Integrated Responses on Migration from Central America Project.
The series presents the story of Clari, an adventurous 12-year-old girl, and Paco, an intelligent but shy 8-year-old boy. They embark on a journey that will change their lives in unexpected ways. Their journey will initially be exciting, but they will soon realize the risks of an irregular migratory journey. On their way, they will cross paths with Luis, an unscrupulous coyote who offers help, but in reality seeks economic benefits. Clari and Paco will discover the true intentions of Luis, who plans to hand them over to the fearsome desert hyenas for a reward.
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In 1992, NASA Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz waved to throngs of fans at a homecoming parade in Costa Rica to celebrate his historic representation as the first Latino to travel to space. Peering out from the crowd was a young Luis Diego Monge. Seeing a fellow Costa Rican representing NASA, Luis Diego decided that he too would pursue a space-related career. To this day, he keeps a photo from that parade with him as a reminder of this life-defining moment.
Years later, Luis Diego not only achieved his goal of working in space technology, but he became a colleague of astronaut Chang-Diaz. Now, with the support of SERVIR, a joint initiative of NASA and USAID, Luis Diego works to share geospatial tools with other young people in Central America to help them pursue their own dreams beyond the stratosphere.
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