Juliano Belletti visits a project being run by the FC Barcelona Foundation and Scotiabank in Calakmul (Mexico)

The FC Barcelona Foundation and Scotiabank are working together with the NGO, Fondo para la Paz, to implement the "Values in action: Transforming lives through physical activity and access to drinking water" community development project in the Calakmul municipality in the Mexican state of Campeche. The people who live in these predominantly indigenous rural communities are exposed to situations of extreme poverty, with basic needs, such as access to drinking water, sanitation services and balanced food, in short supply. The project also works to help improve the physical and emotional health of the local children and young people, while seeking to raise awareness about sustainable development through the organisation of participatory, inclusive and sustainable community initiatives.

The project benefits more than 660 children and adolescents between the ages of six and 14 in ten communities. During a recent visit, former Barça player and Legend Giuliano Belletti attended the end-of-season event, alongside all those involved with the project, with the children, educational team, community water committee and teachers particularly to the fore. 

While there, Belletti actively joined in with a range of activities related to both the Barça Foundation's own sport and game-based socio-educational methodology, SportNet, and the community water and sanitation projects. He also had the opportunity to learn all about the project and see the results and improvements that have been achieved to date, as well as treating participants to a number of motivational talks based on his experience as an elite footballer. 

The importance of water on the health of people and communities

The people who live in the Mexican municipality of Calakmul, one of Mexico’s poorest regions, are acutely aware of the importance of water. Ensuring the supply of drinking water presents a significant problem in this area due, among other reasons, to limited water resource accessibility caused by the region’s lithological and relief features and a short rainy season of just four months. The absence of a sewer system for wastewater management also means the population do not have access to adequate sanitation services.

Poor nutrition is another prevalent issue in the region, particularly among the poorest communities and children. According to a study by the Fondo para la Paz organisation, more than 50% of women seek support and assistance from school canteens to help feed their children. Similarly, a reliance on the monoculture of corn crops in rural areas generates significant dietary imbalances and seriously impacts the availability of food for the families living there.

Personal development, social skills and environmental awareness

The SportNet sessions, during which physical activity and play is used to promote the acquisition of personal and social skills, have served to generate positive change in terms of attitude and behaviour among the children and young people participating in the project, while also working to raise awareness and engagement with regard to environmental issues (drinking water, sanitation, solid waste management). This has all been achieved under the watchful eye of an educational team made up of 20 young people trained specifically for this project, who have implemented these socio-educational and socio-environmental sports activities in coordination with other community leaders.

Furthermore, the project has successfully improved water and sanitation conditions in schools across the ten communities to provide a safe and healthy environment for the children. This is expected to reduce the reported number of cases of gastrointestinal related to the consumption of drinking water by diseases that occur within the school communities.