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The Fundación para el Desarrollo Social Sustentable (Foundation for Sustainable Social Development, FUNDESS) is a non-governmental organization founded in 2000 to promote the human rights and labor rights of flower workers, and local environmental conservation in Ecuador. It is located in Cayambe, the heart of Ecuador’s flower-growing region. FUNDESS believes that all flower workers have the right to fair treatment, social security, non-discrimination, and the right to organize.

The President of FUNDESS, Cesar Estacio, is a former flower worker who was fired after organizing a union at his company and blacklisted by the flower plantations in the Cayambe region.

FUNDESS runs trainings for workers on leadership, labor rights, women’s rights, and self-esteem. They also provide legal support for flower workers and run environmental conservation and community ecotourism projects. FUNDESS believes that a system of integral participatory education is the only way to lift people out of poverty. They aspire to have a school for adults and a joint venture with universities.

The ILRF and FUNDESS have worked together closely for years. Aspartners, the organizations have made significant progress in improving the lives of flower workers. In 2004, the ILRF did a fundraising raffle to raise seed money for their legal support center.

In 2005, the Legal Center’s accomplishment’s (with money raised from our raffle) include:
• 200 workers (60% women) attended the Center’s trainings on labor rights
• Nearly 100 workers received legal help to file complaints when they were fired for trying to unionize or other reasons
• Over 100 workers received legal help in filing paperwork to demand settlement pay, or deal with sexual harassment issues
• Center staff carried out 14 inspections at plantations in response to workers’ complaints
• Center successfully lobbied Ministry of Labor and the municipal government of Cayambe to establish a Labor Inspector’s office in Cayambe, so that workers would not have to travel to Quito to file labor complaints (which was difficult because of time and resource constraints).
• Center made flyers, a 20-minute film, and radio announcements to raise awareness among flower workers about the new services available.

In 2006 ILRF worked with Norma Mena of FUNDESS on the problem of sexual harassment in flower farms. They developed posters to raise awareness among women workers about their rights (which you can see on the FUNDESS website) and they held workshops for women workers as well.

In 2008 we gave them a small grant so that they can continue the support of their legal support center. Now every year the legal support center helps more and more flower workers - hundreds every year file legal complaints that they couldn't have done without the support of FUNDESS. Their contribution is amazing.

To learn more about FUNDESS, visit them at www.fundess.org.