Fundación Cimas seeks to link its academic programs and research with the lived realities of poor urban and rural communities. Through participatory research related to environmental, social, cultural, and public health, students are encouraged to contribute to alternative processes of local development. Students will also help evaluate the outcomes and social effects of specific development programs and assist in sharing this information in academic settings and public events.

By collaborating with an array of diverse communities, Cimas envisions the construction of improved development programs, based on cooperation and careful planning so that actions are specifically directed to fulfill the needs of the community. Cimas aims to support a new type of development, based on bottom-up planning, diverse world views, up-to-date information, evaluation and accountability to optimize the efficacy and pertinence of the development process.

Fundación Cimas has been supporting community-based development in Canton Pedro Moncayo since 2000, specifically in the consolidation of the Cantonal Council of Health and in the provision of technical assistance in the projects associated with decentralizing rural regional governments.