In the small rural community of Chingazo, Ecuador, most of the people are small farmers of very low income. Many of them live in traditional huts or half-finished houses that offer no or little protection from the cold of the Andean highlands and against the ash spewed from Tungurahua volcano, Because of their socio-economic status, these families can not improve their situation on their own.

It is nine months since the devastating earthquake in Nepal, and there are still very few reconstruction projects underway. But in Bhorle, in the Langtang district, EcoSur consultant Ramon Gonzalez from Nicaragua has managed to start the rebuilding of a school.

For Cuba, the flow of oil stopped suddenly with the collapse of the Soviet Union. While it will be for different reasons and from different causes, the end of the supply of oil is on the horizon. Countries could prepare for the future... if they want to.