Projects Overview

Below is a short overview and summary of our projects for 2010. Please feel free to contact us to find out more, or to find out how you can help.

The work of Yanapuma Foundation during 2010 is focused mainly on the communities of Bua de los Tsa'chila and Estero de Plátano. In addition we will work in smaller projects in the Amazon communities of Puka Chicta and Chichicorumi, in Chilcapamba in the sierra, and Caimito on the Pacific coast.

Bua:
Interamerican Foundation: Yanapuma is working through a grant from the IAF on the development of leadership skills, organizational ability and cultural self-esteem. We have a social/community worker active full-time in the community working with the various groups – cabildo, women's group, caja solidaria, cultural group, school, cacao promotors, to develop the skills that the Tsa'chila need and lack in order to be able to manage their own development in the future. We are using a variety of media to achieve this including working with theater and puppets, as well as more conventional workshops, and hands-on work.
Additional components of this project include working on improvement of cacao production with a group of male farmers, environmental protection and the improvement of nutrition.
The IAF project will finish at the end of August, and we will seek additional funding to continue working in this area.

UNDP: We are working on a two-year project through the United Nations Small Donations program in conjunction with the local government “Consejo Provincial, “ to reforest river banks and sensitive areas in order to protect the water courses. An additional component is to incorporate cacao production into the reforestation to create productive forests. We will promote the creation of nurseries for cacao trees and other species. The project involves not only the Tsa'chila community of Bua, but also the nearby mestizo community of San Jacinto del Bua. This is the first time that Tsa'chila will be collaborating with non-Tsa'chila on a project of mutual interest, so it is especially important to us to be able to demonstrate to the Tsa'chila the need and the advantages of this type of collaboration. The project will pay two local coordinators to work with local farmers in each community.
The hardest part of the project is dealing with local government who, having committed themselves to funding the local coordinators, subsequently are trying to back out of this commitment, leaving a large hole in both the funding and the structure of the project, which we are working to resolve at the moment.

Other Projects in Bua:
In addition to the above Yanapuma is also working on various smaller projects that fit into the overall plan of integrated development. These are funded by Sotogrande International School and small private donations.
Integrated Health Center: Having created a building for use as a health center we are seeking funding to begin health promotion, as well as collaborating with local authorities to deliver medical services, and seeking visiting medical brigades that can also help.
Cultural Education: The Shinopi Bolon cultural center is preparing a series of presentations that will be integrated weekly into the curriculum of the local school to demonstrate the history, culture, beliefs, customs, myths, and other vital aspects of Tsa'chila culture to the children. Yanapuma will film these events to produce short videos.
EcoEscuelas: Yanapuma is working with teachers and the bilingual education department to develop the concept of ecological schools and to find out how this might fit into an overall concept of bilingual education for the Tsa'chila that is appropriate to their culture.
Ecological Sanitation: We continue to monitor and evaluate the ecological sanitation projects that we have carried out in Bua in order to confirm that they represent a viable alternative to traditional water-using toilets.
Caja Solidaria: Yanapuma will continue to work with the community bank to develop the necessary skills to expand and manage funds that are used to offer micro loans to individuals in the community. We will organize workshops and training in book-keeping and administration.
Women Farmers: We are seeking funding to begin to work with women farmers. Men and women do not collaborate in farming and the women struggle to balance their household duties with their farming activities. They lack training and knowledge to raise their income through farming and have requested our help in beginning this process.
Shinopi Bolón Cultural Center: We continue to support the growth and development of this vital organization in the community that works to protect and promote Tsa'chila culture and language.
School Vegetable Garden: We are creating a vegetable garden in the school as a practical means of improving the nutritional quality of the school meals as well as creating a demonstration plot for the adults of the community to show how to grow vegetables
Research: Through the Royal Geographical Society and Shell we have arranged financial support for three theses related to cacao production and commercialization and reforestation, the results of which will have direct benefit for the community of Bua.

Estero de Plátano:
Scholarships: In 2010 Yanapuma has awarded 10 scholarships to children to study at secondary level. The $3000 for these scholarships was raised through our annual Christmas fundraiser and private donations.
Drinking Water: In collaboration with Fundación Agua Muisne, and through an anonymous donation, we are working on the installation of a system to produce drinking water. This will be run as a small business providing very cheap water to the community (25 cents for 5 gallons) as well as free water to the school.
Caja Solidaria: We are working with the community bank to strengthen and expand their work which offers a vital service to the community in the form of micro-financing. We will offer training in management and book-keeping.
Health and well-being: In June and July Yanapuma will begin a program with the aid of a summer intern from the George Warren Brown school of Public Health and two long-term interns from Union College. They will work with youth on sexual and reproductive health and sexual rights, as well as on general life-skills that will help them to adapt to the changing situation in Estero de Plátano as the paved road approaches and outside attention focuses on this idyllic spot.
Community Organization: Yanapuma will continue to work to strengthen the organizational ability of the community working with the committee and the school to develop the necessary skills to advocate on behalf of the community and encourage participation in community development.

Caimito:
Yanapuma will continue to support biologist George Fletcher in his work to make the community more sustainable, develop organic cacao production, improve the infrastructure and quality of the education there, and create a bio-corridor and reserve. Volunteer groups will carry out various projects over the course of the year.

Chilcapamba:
Chilcapamba will continue to receive volunteer groups to work on infrastructure development of this sierra community, as well as weekend cultural excursions from the Spanish school that help in the development of tourism.

Kamak Maki: During 2010 we will offer support in the development of this project to create an ethnographic musuem and cultural center for the preservation and promotion of Kichwa culture. One of our employees will work there for a couple of months in March and April on the development of the museum. We will also carry out training in administration and accounting to support their economic development.

Puca Chicta:
We are collaborating with the Portland Oregon branch of Engineers Without Borders to construct a drinking water system for the community. We will also send volunteer groups to work on infrastructure projects in the village throughout the year.