News

Building social progress in La Fortuna through public-private partnerships

18 2021 March
Mauren esquivel
  • Plaza Comercial ECO Z13 will generate 60 jobs in La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica

March 18, 2021. This March 11, with the presence of the first vice president of the Republic of Costa Rica, the new ECO Z13 Commercial Plaza was inaugurated in the community of San Carlos in the ZetaTrece community in La Fortuna de San Carlos. 

This project is part of a pilot initiative called BAC Communities, implemented by BAC Credomatic, DINADECO, FUNDES, the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) of INCAE and local governments.

All these organizations have worked in a multisectoral cooperation effort for the creation of shared value, adding economic resources and knowledge to make the development of this first project a reality in which volunteer hours, technical advice, dialogue tables and workshops are added; Topics such as the importance of the social progress index for community management were worked on; business plan; preparation of a financial plan; marketing, among others.

With an investment of $ 222,000, this shopping plaza will generate 60 jobs and will have the mission of reducing the environmental impact while generating profits for the Zeta Trece Integral Development Association and the community.

This initiative won the 2020 award for social responsibility in action in the community category awarded by AmCham Costa Rica. The objective is to create social enterprises led by Integral Development Associations that can generate resources to reinvest in the communities and thus contribute to the improvement of the Cantonal Social Progress Index within a year.

The other two participating projects of BAC Communities of 2020 are being developed in Barrio La Cruz in Liberia, which consists of the construction of a sports complex for the development of soccer 5; and in Frailes de Desamparados a culinary center will be promoted, which includes a restaurant, museum and sale of handicrafts called “Paraíso del Café”.

If you want more information, you can contact Mauren Esquivel at the mail mauren.esquivel@incae.edu.