Joy that spreads – twice as nice, twice as meaningful
The festive season is just around the corner – an opportunity to share joy and give meaningful gifts. With a gift donation via EcoSolidar, you can turn your gift into something that has a lasting impact – for your loved ones and for people around the world who need support. You give joy that spreads.
Making a difference together A donation in the name of a special person means double the joy: you give the recipient a valuable gift – and at the same time enable opportunities for others. Your support strengthens children and young people, women and farming families in our partner projects.
How it works:
Donate: Choose the amount and donate in the name of a person of your choice. Inform: The recipient will receive a personal thank-you card with information about the project being supported. A small thank you: We enclose a sample of organic pepper from Cambodia and dried chillies from Malawi – from people who are gaining new prospects thanks to your donation.
Your contribution changes lives
*50 Swiss francs – supports women affected by poverty and violence in India and Peru with counselling and income opportunities.
*100 Swiss francs – give children in Peru, Nicaragua and Cambodia access to educational and social projects and new opportunities.
*150 Swiss francs – supports farming families in Malawi and Cambodia through training in sustainable agriculture.
Iniciativa Colibrí, based in Nicaragua, supports disadvantaged children and young people in the Estelí district. The project’s manager, María Jesús, grew up in this neighbourhood and still lives there today. The Colibrí centre provides a space where children and young people can relax through theatre, express themselves freely, support each other and recognise their feelings.
Iniciativa Colibrí: The big impact of this small project
Iniciativa Colibrí, based in Nicaragua, supports disadvantaged children and young people in the Estelí district. The project’s manager, María Jesús, grew up in this neighbourhood and still lives there today. The Colibrí centre provides a space where children and young people can relax through theatre, express themselves freely, support each other and recognise their feelings.
There are three theatre groups structured according to age and ability, as well as a reading group for the youngest children. Participants are responsible for maintaining the neighbourhood centre and its garden. A psychologist is also regularly present at the centre to provide guidance and support to children and young people facing challenges.
Currently, 35 children and young people are actively involved in the various theatre and reading groups. Others get involved occasionally, and a women’s group meets regularly at the centre. Despite its small size — the annual project costs amount to around CHF 10 000 — Iniciativa Colibrí has a significant and lasting impact on the neighbourhood. The centre provides a reliable presence for residents and participants, remaining open regardless of personal circumstances or difficult and unpredictable political times. The neighbourhood centre has a huge impact on the lives of its participants, as well as their families and friends. Former long-term participants report that their years of experience on the project strengthened them personally. They became part of a community that actively practises democracy, and they were able to experiment and develop their own skills. They now have the confidence to appear in front of an audience, be authentic, and stand by their opinions
Photo report from the project in Nicaragua
María Jesús, the project manager and founder of the project, knows the participating children and young people, as well as their families, very well. She often meets them on the way to the neighbourhood centre, where she works.
The neighbourhood’s residents know and appreciate “Profe Mary”, as she is affectionately known, very much.
Thirteen years ago, María Jesús founded the project together with her niece. Since then, she has dedicated herself entirely to this work. She has supported many participants throughout the years. This has created a strong bond between them and the centre.
When the children and young people arrive at the neighbourhood centre in the afternoon, they first clean the entire facility. There are different tasks to be completed at each meeting. Somebody has to water the garden flowers, mop the floors, unlock the toilets and prepare the activities. Everyone helps out, and the older participants take on leadership roles in the various groups.
At Colibrí, everyone is welcome and has a place. The focus is on joint activities and interaction. Every theatre or reading group begins with a session where the children and young people can exchange ideas, talk about things that have made them happy or sad, and simply play together and have fun.
The project work with children and young people focuses on personal development and strengthening the personality.
Child psychologist Maritza regularly runs sessions on the topic of “My Life Journey”. These sessions help children and young people to recognise and express their feelings and emotions, and to develop personally and strengthen their self-confidence.
The reading group focuses on reading together, strengthening reading skills and discovering literature. Members immerse themselves in stories and write their own.
The community centre offers three theatre groups tailored to different age groups and levels of experience. Some of the oldest group’s participants take on the role of co-leaders for the younger groups. Here, they practise various techniques and improvisation, and perform in a big play once a year.
Iniciativa Colibrí regularly takes part in theatre festivals and workshops, in which children and young people perform plays and develop new skills. In this photo, a Colibrí group travelled to El Salvador.
Iniciativa Colibrí organises an annual neighbourhood festival to involve local residents in its activities. The festival features numerous stalls selling a variety of homemade items and food. The proceeds go towards funding the project.
Fourteen-year-old Alba and sixteen-year-old Enmanuel both want to become actors. They have performed in theatre groups before, but they felt too pressured or restrained there.
Both of them feel very comfortable at Colibrí and can develop at their own pace. They like the fact that the group is at the heart of everything and that everyone is on the same page.
Pukllasunchis works with indigenous schoolchildren and teachers at rural schools in the Cusco region. The children tell stories about their everyday lives and traditions, which are recorded and broadcast as radio programmes. These radio programmes reach many listeners in the region, for example at the market in Cusco. The teachers themselves undergo further training at Pukllasunchis in bilingual and intercultural teaching.
FENAMAD supports indigenous young people from the Amazon region in secondary school and with further studies in the city by providing accommodation, educational and psychological support as well as strengthening their self-confidence and personal skills.
More equal opportunities for indigenous people in Peru
The indigenous population in Peru continues to be severely disadvantaged in terms of access to education and in the education system itself. Our two partner organisations in Peru (Pukllasunchis in Cusco and FENAMAD in Puerto Maldonado) are committed to providing indigenous children and young people with better opportunities for their future. This involves providing concrete support for individual educational pathways as well as improving intercultural teaching.
Pukllasunchis works with indigenous schoolchildren and teachers at rural schools in the Cusco region. The children tell stories about their everyday lives and traditions, which are recorded and broadcast as radio programmes. These radio programmes reach many listeners in the region, for example at the market in Cusco. The teachers themselves undergo further training at Pukllasunchis in bilingual and intercultural teaching.
FENAMAD supports indigenous young people from the Amazon region in secondary school and with further studies in the city by providing accommodation, educational and psychological support as well as strengthening their self-confidence and personal skills.
Photo report from projects in Peru
At school, the children work together to create the stories for the radio programmes. They tell legends and describe customs and everyday life from their lives in Quechua. For the recording of the radio programmes, they perform these stories as plays. The finished programmes are broadcast and are very popular. Nerio Cruz Mamani: “I like the way my voice sounds on the radio. My mum was very proud when she heard me. Thanks to the radio recordings, I’ve become braver and dare to speak out elsewhere”.
The teachers are proud of their students and how they create the radio programmes. The project strengthens them as a group, gives their indigenous origin a positive meaning and makes them participate more attentively in class and get involved. The classes also listen to stories from other communities together and talk about them. The radio programmes as well as other creative and playful activities are effective methods in bilingual intercultural teaching.
Teachers and Pukllasunchis staff discuss the project work. The project would not work without the commitment and conviction of the teachers. They are the ones who implement and promote bilingual and intercultural teaching. Miluska Hurtado de Mendoza (left): “It’s wonderful when children discover talents and when they realise that their way of life and their everyday lives have a place in school. They gain important experiences and learn skills for their future. It’s very satisfying to accompany them in this process and to learn a lot myself”.
Secondary school students from the indigenous communities in the Madre de Dios region have to go to the city of Puerto Maldonado for further studies. Interested young people can find out about the various training opportunities at the careers fair. Most of them have made an arduous journey of several days. If they decide to study, they have to move away from home and find their way around the city. Thanks to the support of FENAMAD, the move is easier for the young people and their parents.
Indigenous young people from various villages and ethnic groups live and work at Casa Miraflores during their studies. They organise their everyday lives together and are supported by specialists in psychological matters as well as with additional lessons and creative workshops. The young people come to terms with their indigenous identity and their origins and how they would like to shape their future.
Rogelio Rodriguez trained as a teacher for bilingual education in Puerto Maldonado and lived in Casa Miraflores during this time. After completing his studies, he returned to his home village of Santa Teresita, where he teaches Spanish and Yine, his mother tongue, to children from Year 3 to Year 6 at primary school.
The circus project Circo Fantazztico run by our partner organisation VIDA NUEVA offers children and youths coming from poor districts of San Isidro, Costa Rica, an alternative to gang crime and gives them a new perspective in a difficult social environment.
Social circus in Costa Rica
The social circus of Circo Fantazzticooffers children and young people from San Isidro, Costa Rica, an alternative to criminalisation in gangs and the lack of prospects in their difficult social environment. It promotes the skills and self-confidence of the participants and gives them the opportunity to experiment with their own abilities and to grow in various areas of life in a safe and free space.
Photo report from the project in Costa Rica
The play that Circo Fantazztico takes on tour is developed by the artists themselves. Costa Rican artists and their works serve as their inspiration, which usually results in a very poetic circus performance.
The skills of the artists and their favourite disciplines also play a decisive role. The original play is further developed during the tour and adapted to the spatial conditions of each performance venue. Like this, the shows vary from venue to venue, but this does not upset the children and young adults at all. On the contrary, they respond to the different stage conditions with impressive flexibility and composure and are inspired by new challenges.
It is also important for the artists to interact with the audience and receive direct feedback from them. The diverse experiences and impressions they gather on their tour are ultimately taken home with them, where they share them with the other children and young people in the project. In this way, each performance becomes a valuable enrichment for the entire group.
When Circo Fantazztico performs, you can feel how strongly the group of children and young adults stick together and trust each other. This mutual trust creates a special dynamic and is a key reason for the fascination that their performances evoke in the audience.
At the same time, mutual trust and a good team spirit are prerequisites for the success of the stunts, which are often demanding and dangerous as well. Whether in the risky aerial acrobatics or the many-headed pyramids – the artists rely on each other blindly and can only master the challenges as a team.
The sense of community is a core value in the Circo Fantazztico project. It shows the young artists that they are strong together and can achieve great things. Especially in their difficult social and economic environment at home, this experience is invaluable.
Anyeli is 13 years old and has been part of Circo Fantazztico for two years. For her, the Circo means more than just acrobatics and stunts.
„At the Circo, I’m with lots of lovely people. We learn together and we stick together. It’s a happy place and that makes me a happy and friendly person. The Circo has made my life happier, without it I would be missing something! I like everything on tour, I only miss my mum, my brother and my little dog. My favourite part is the show itself, I’m completely free and I like the direct contact with the audience.“ Anyeli, left
Luana, 21 years old, has also been part of Circo Fantazztico for two years and is one of the passionate young artists who help shape the project.
„It was love at first sight. The Circo gives you tools and shows you possibilities, but you are completely free to do what you want. The Circo is a safe space where participants can discover talents they didn’t realise they had. On tour, I really like the way people react to our performance. When I’m on stage, I’m myself and the puppet Cocorí at the same time and together with my colleague I make Cocorí come alive“ Luana, right
Fabricio, 20 years old, has been part of Circo Fantazztico for three years and has now become an experienced member who even leads training sessions for children.
„I was a reserved person and the Circo helped me to discover my talents and make new friends. At the Circo, we are all like children, we live in the moment, fascinated by the possibilities and simply happy. In the district of Cocorí there are young people who are attracted to a bad environment and run the risk of being drawn into it. The Circo tries to motivate them to take part in the training sessions and find different perspectives. It’s a project for the community.“ Fabricio, left
These examples show that Circo Fantazztico thrives on a strong community in which the children and young people support each other. These spaces not only create a place of learning, but also a protected space in which friendships are formed and talents and new perspectives are discovered.
CIFA (CambodiaIndigenous Friendship Association) works with the Bunong indigenous community in north-east Cambodia. The project supports the Bunong with various strategies for managing the remaining land for food security, securing land titles and preserving their culture.
Photo report from the project in Cambodia
CIFA trains and advises the families in organic farming techniques and in the production and marketing of cash crops such as pepper, coffee and rubber, which are grown by the indigenous farmers themselves on small plots of land.
Thanks to new techniques, such as the grafting of rubber trees, the Bunong are able to improve their production. CIFA connects the farmers with buyers for their products and negotiates fair prices.
CIFA aims to familiarise farmers with a sustainable form of agriculture, as many are only familiar with the intensive form of plantations run by transnational rubber companies. This includes producing their own compost.
While the Bunong used to practise shifting cultivation in the past, the land is now permanently farmed and is dependent on the supply of nutrients.
The approximately 400 farmers participating in CIFA engage in a wide range of agricultural activities. This also includes animal husbandry, such as fish and snail farming. Snails are part of many dishes in Cambodia and sell well.
Since the beginning of 2024, CIFA has been operating a demonstration farm on an area of approx. 1 ha. Among other things, new coffee cultivation techniques are being tested here. As warmer temperatures are hard on the Robusta coffee plant, mixed crops are being trialled. CIFA keeps pigs, chickens, ducks, fish and snails on the demonstration farm for training purposes and operates a demonstration area for compost production.
CIFA’s agricultural experts regularly visit the farmers’ fields to check that the new techniques are being implemented as taught.
Weaving plays an important role in preserving traditions, as the traditional costume is still worn at major festivals. CIFA has purchased two sewing machines so that the weavers can process the woven products.
Another traditional skill of the Bunong is basket weaving.
CIFA supports the community in purchasing materials so that the traditional craft is not lost and local production is promoted at the same time.
Another group of Bunong have formed a cultural group: CIFA set up a small recording studio to record and broadcast traditional music and produce other programmes about Bunong identity and daily life.
CIFA runs a small restaurant in Bousra that serves traditional Bunong dishes. Farmers can sell their produce here, which is processed in the restaurant or sold on directly. In addition to the familiar vegetables, the inhabitants of the small town can also find so-called forest vegetables here: various roots, plants and wild fruits that are collected by the Bunong in the forest and enrich the menu.
Farmer Kert Nat has been working with CIFA for a year. She grows pepper, coffee, rubber and various vegetables in her field. She is very eager to learn and is grateful for the training opportunities offered by CIFA. Next, she would like to expand her knowledge of tree grafting.
By cultivating the fields, the family can secure a modest but stable income.
Kert Nat is optimistic about the future. Thanks to the collaboration with CIFA, she is hoping for a better harvest. She dreams of building her own house.
ASUD (Action for Sustainable Development) works together with five primary schools and the surrounding communities in the district of Mzimba in northern Malawi. The project aims to improve the nutritional and economic situation of schoolchildren and families through sustainable agriculture.
Photo Report from the project in Malawi
The project started at one school in 2018 and has been implemented at a total of five primary schools in the Mzimba region since 2022. In schools where malnutrition is a widespread problem, school gardens are being planted with the aim of improving the nutritional situation of the schoolchildren. The cooking demonstrations organized at the schools serve the same purpose. At the same time, the garden is also used as a learning field for organic and locally adapted agriculture.
The schoolchildren’s families also work in the school garden and on the school grounds, thus acquiring knowledge about plant varieties, pig farming, composting, irrigation and measures against evaporation and erosion.
They apply this knowledge at home: they plant their own home gardens in which they grow native vegetable varieties to supplement and improve their diet.
Individual farmers take on the role of lead farmers: they encourage other villagers to plant their own small gardens and are there to help and give advice.
The production of compost and of organic plant protection products, which help to increase the harvest, is a central element in ASUD’s knowledge transfer.
Farmers who are interested in animal breeding receive pigs from ASUD. If reproduction is successful, the piglets are distributed to other villagers. At the same time, the pig manure is used to produce compost..
Groups of farmers merge together to plant common fields close to water sources or streams. They can irrigate these fields using solar-powered water pumps, enabling them to grow maize, beans, tomatoes and other vegetables even in the dry season.
Thanks to the cooking demonstrations at the schools, the pupils’ parents learn how to prepare nutritious and varied meals.
The surplus harvest is sold and provides an additional income for the families.
In the villages, it is mainly the women who form savings groups. They are trained and supported in bookkeeping and money management by ASUD employees. The money they save is used for common causes such as the maintenance of wells and solar-powered water pumps, for communal pig farming or for emergencies.
ASUD has dug wells at all five project schools and in several communities together with the local population so that people have access to clean water, which they can also use to irrigate their home gardens.
Various techniques are used to minimise water loss in the fields, prevent soil erosion and improve soil fertility. These include the digging of swales (see picture) in the fields and the planting of vertiver grass.
Parallel to its work with schools and villages, ASUD has been setting up the APIC (ASUD Permaculture Innovation Centre) training centre for organic farming since 2022. Here, the team is implementing organic farming techniques and testing new technologies. There are also plans for setting up a seed bank of local seeds, which will then be distributed to farmers.
APIC serves as a training centre for farmers, teachers, representatives of the local authorities and other interested parties.
In addition to accommodations for ASUD employees, a small hostel is being built on the site so that in the future smaller groups can also be accommodated at the centre for training workshops that last several days.
Networking with other partners is essential for the long-term success of the project. ASUD maintains relationships with government representatives (especially of the Ministry of Agriculture and Education) as well as with other local NGOs. In the photo, the district commissioner is making a speech at the inauguration of the well in Mtheto, St Monica.
After inaugurating the well, the government representative was given a tour of the village. This made him realise the huge impact that access to water has on village life.
The close and respectful cooperation between ASUD and the farmers as well as the representatives of the schools and other institutions is an essential contribution to the success of the project.
Our partner organisation IDEMNNA (Instituto de Desarrollo „Maria Elena Moyano“) works with women and their children in an outer district of Lima. The aim of the project is to improve family life, to support the women in their personal development and their independence and to strengthen the solidarity in the neighbourhood. The women who are supported by IDEMNNA have founded a group and have assumed the name “Las Pioneras”. In this group they can exchange ideas and support each other with regard to educational problems and experiences of violence. They share knowledge in the fields of nutrition and handicraft skills, develop business ideas and receive small loans for the realisation of their projects as start-up aid and to achieve financial independence.
Las Pioneras: with pioneering spirit to more independence
Our partner organisation IDEMNNA (Instituto de Desarrollo „Maria Elena Moyano“) works with women and their children in an outer district of Lima. The aim of the project is to improve family life, to support the women in their personal development and their independence and to strengthen the solidarity in the neighbourhood. The women who are supported by IDEMNNA have founded a group and have assumed the name “Las Pioneras”. In this group they can exchange ideas and support each other with regard to educational problems and experiences of violence. They share knowledge in the fields of nutrition and handicraft skills, develop business ideas and receive small loans for the realisation of their projects as start-up aid and to achieve financial independence.
Photo report form the project in Peru
Due to the massive immigration of people from all parts of Peru and other countries (e.g. Venezuela), numerous new neighbourhoods have grown up around Lima in recent decades. IDEMNNA works in two communities in Jicamarca, which are located in the eastern metropolitan area of Lima. Living conditions here are extremely precarious: basic services – water, sewage, electricity, green spaces – are lacking. Violence, alcohol, drugs and the land trade cause massive problems. Most families live in poverty. Many women are single parents and have experienced psychological or physical violence.
Alicia lives with her husband and two children high up in the hills in Jicamarca in a house made of wood. Her husband works in the waste collection and is very responsible. Alicia emphasizes that they are a good team and that he supports her in her activities. Thanks to Alicia’s additional income from buying and selling household products and a small loan, she has been able to gradually set up her own home for herself and her family.
Most of the women IDEMNNA works with are in the informal sector. Carmen, the coordinator of the organisation, is regularly out and about in the neighbourhood, where she seeks contact with the women and makes them aware of IDEMNNA’s work.
The close and personal accompanying of the women is one of the great strengths of IDEMNNA. In this way, those responsible learn about the women’s needs. Business ideas are developed and realised together. The photo shows Julio, the second IDEMNNA staff member, with two women from the project.
IDEMNNA is increasingly seeking contact with other institutions in order to expand the range of services offered to the women of Jicamarca. Thanks to this cooperation, the women gain access to psychosocial support, legal counselling and much more.
Before Alicia (right with the microphone) joined the Pioneras, she was shy and could never have imagined speaking in front of people. Today, she confidently leads the meeting of the Pioneras and the election of the new board.
The election of the board is an open and democratic process. The women discuss in groups and can present themselves as candidates. The Pioneras carry out this process very participatively and independently, without intervention from IDEMNNA. This shows how much the women identify with the group of the Pioneras.
The newly elected board of the Pioneras proudly presents itself. It consists of six women, three from each of the two communities Belén and Villa El Sol.
The children of the Pioneras have their own group, which is called the Pioneritos. In this group, they cultivate friendships, do homework, play games, organise themselves and implement ideas according to the principle of «learning by doing».
Two Pioneritos run a small copy centre where they have a printer connected to a prepaid tablet. Here, copies and printouts can be made for a fee. The two Pioneritos keep accounts of all sales and purchases.
Individual women from the group of the Pioneras conduct workshops in which the other women can participate. The tailoring workshop is led by Eulalia, who has been running a sewing studio for several years.
For a few months now, three women have been renting a stall together at the local market. Here they sell their self-sewn products (blankets, cushion covers and bags) and offer repair and modification services. Eulalia provides her own sewing machines for this purpose. She has long dreamed of running a shop at the market.
Keimy is a Pionera of the first hour. In the group, she has learned to gradually free herself from her husband’s control. Thanks to her work in the tailoring studio, she has been able to earn a small but independent income. This has also strengthened her self-confidence in the long term. She is now working on setting up her own sewing studio in the courtyard of her house.
The Comedor in Belén is a building owned by the municipality and rented by the Pioneras. Here they run a lunch table where they offer healthy and nutritious meals. The Pioneras have undergone further training in the field of nutrition and are now counteracting malnutrition by means of this offer.
The Pioneras and their children pay a low price for the food, and the offer is also open to outsiders at a slightly higher price. Children with anaemia from particularly poor families receive lunch free of charge. The women keep accurate records of the Comedor’s income and expenses, thus learning a new skill, namely bookkeeping.
The Pioneras’ place is a small oasis in the desolate surroundings of Jicamarca. The resilience and motivation of the women, their many ideas with which they want to improve their lives and those of their children, inspire and drive Carmen and Julio to stand up for them and to keep developing new strategies for IDEMNNA.
SIEDS (Society for Informal Education and Development Studies) works on the issue of violence against women in Bangalore, India. Part of the work consists of counselling women and legal support for individual cases. Their husbands and the families are also included in the mediation processes. At the same time, SIEDS runs education and information campaigns among the population and for the authorities. The focus is now increasingly on the self-organisation of women in groups and on community work with women, men and children. In order to secure the future of the organisation, SIEDS began a few years ago to consciously hire young staff. The cooperation between the two generations works very well – new staff members are increasingly taking on responsibilities and are developing additional competencies.
The work takes place in three districts and is supported by an Indian foundation in one of them. EcoSolidar has been an important partner for SIEDS for 25 years, because in addition to gender work, we also consciously support the organisation itself and its further development.
Combating violence against women
SIEDS (Society for Informal Education and Development Studies) works on the issue of violence against women in Bangalore, India. Part of the work consists of counselling women and legal support for individual cases. Their husbands and the families are also included in the mediation processes. At the same time, SIEDS runs education and information campaigns among the population and for the authorities. The focus is now increasingly on the self-organisation of women in groups and on community work with women, men and children. In order to secure the future of the organisation, SIEDS began a few years ago to consciously hire young staff. The cooperation between the two generations works very well – new staff members are increasingly taking on responsibilities and are developing additional competencies.
The work takes place in three districts and is supported by an Indian foundation in one of them. EcoSolidar has been an important partner for SIEDS for 25 years, because in addition to gender work, we also consciously support the organisation itself and its further development. Photos Christian Jaeggi
Photo report from the project in India
In Anekal, a women’s group has been created by SIEDS in which women meet and exchange ideas regularly. They tell each other their life stories, learn from each other and invigorate each other. At larger meetings numerous women and children come together, and they also sing and eat together.
Some women share their life stories, some of them tell about very difficult experiences of violence, others tell about how they have found their way out of a life of violence.
Here, a female taxi driver talks about her experiences and the challenges of being a woman in this profession.
In Kolar, SIEDS offers, for example, counselling sessions, in which women can discuss their concerns and get concrete help and legal advice. A current issue is the exploitation of women in petrol station jobs. Single women are poorly paid and made so dependent that they become indebted to the owner of the petrol station. SIEDS supports the women concerned in defending themselves against this with the help of the police.
Kolar was the first community in which SIEDS took up its work. The centre has a library, of which SIEDS is very proud. There are books on women’s rights and on the work that SIEDS does. SIEDS also uses these books to spread information and impart knowledge to the population.
In Bagalur, SIEDS is now running a new centre with the support of young social workers. The focus here is on empowering women in all the areas of life, focusing on the access to knowledge and the rights people are entitled to. Here, the women can also take part in trainings on the topics of Computer skills coursehygiene, menstruation and contraception.
Women can acquire computer skills, receive individual counselling on various problems or concerns and get support in dealing with the authorities if they desire.
In addition, there is always education and knowledge transfer on the topic of domestic and public violence against women. The women get information about what they can do in case of violence and who they can turn to.
Women come here to meet and simply take a break in a protected setting. Women are supported in all the areas of life at the centre.
Working with the children is an active part of the community work at the centre in Bagalur. They are cared for in groups and can spend their free time playing, painting and dancing or doing their homework and studying for school.
The children can also come to the centre on their own without being accompanied by their mothers or fathers. Thus, the centre is open to everyone and the whole life of the people in the neighbourhood is a topic there.
In this centre the social workers also explicitly work with the men. According to the idea of outreach social work, they are approached at different places in the neighbourhood and invited to the centre. There they can play games, talk and exchange ideas. They get to see what the women are doing and there is no fear that the women might turn against them. The men are also part of the centre and can inform themselves about different topics.
Six years ago, Kavitha experienced violence in a bad marriage. She then turned to SIEDS and over the past few years has freed herself from her plight. Today she lives in her own flat and has made a remarkable change in her life. SIEDS and the women’s group have accompanied her and given her courage.
Together with Rheka (left), who has a similar story, Kavitha has become a figurehead for SIEDS. Her story gives courage and strength to other women. During our visit this year, the two women were in the process of building their own houses. These success stories are possible because SIEDS is fighting persistently and in the long term for their rights together with the women concerned.
In northern Malawi, our partner organisation ASUD supports primary schools in setting up permaculture school gardens. By promoting sustainable agriculture, ASUD works with school communities to combat hunger and malnutrition.
SCHOOL GARDENS AGAINST HUNGER
In northern Malawi, our partner organisation ASUD (Action for Sustainable Development) supports primary schools in setting up permaculture school gardens. By promoting sustainable agriculture, ASUD works with school communities to combat hunger and malnutrition.
Photo Report from the project in Malawi
It all started with a school garden at the primary school in Ng’ongo. Today, this school is a showcase for ASUD’s project. The teachers are continuing their education in permaculture techniques. Besides the vegetable garden, fruit trees, maize, soya and bananas are grown on the school grounds; there is a well for water and a small solar system.
An important part of the project is the use of different techniques for making compost. The compost plays an important role in ensuring that the plants thrive. Here a teacher is teaching students about this topic.
Animal dung is needed to make compost, therefore the school keeps pigs. They now live in a larger and more robust pigsty and are visited and fed by the school children.
The parents learn the new techniques while helping in the school garden and apply them at home. Some of them are particularly committed and continue to test and develop these techniques. They use their know-how to support groups of farmers from the surrounding area in the building and successful cultivation of permaculture gardens.
The farmers also build pigsties at home and support each other in caring for the pigs and their reproduction.
These women farmers are trying out a new variant of compost production at home.
The harvests from the gardens provide the families with healthy vegetables. Thanks to the self-produced compost and the techniques for soil-moisture maintenance, the plants are thriving. The surplus can be sold on the market. This extra income has made it possible for Grace and her mother Mirrium to buy a bed.
They were also able to afford a small solar panel for the roof which provides them with electricity to charge their mobile phones.
This family was able to buy new windows for their house thanks to the sale of the surplus from their vegetable garden.
A few years ago, EcoSolidar financed a deep bore well for the school in Ng’ongo, thanks to which the students have clean water for drinking, cooking, their personal hygiene and the school garden. The well is also used by the village community.
Access to water used to be a big problem for the school and the community. There are water holes further away, but transporting this water is exhausting and time-consuming. In addition, the water is often polluted and hazardous to health.
Another access point to water in the region is a stream. As long as it has water, people can use it to irrigate their fields. Now, several farming families have joined forces and use solar-powered water pumps to transport water from the low-lying stream to their fields.
Through this the irrigation of fields has become easier and safer. Thanks to the solar panels, farming families can plant vegetables all year round and sell the surpluses. This pilot project is currently being extended to other communities.
A group of women on their way to their community field, which is located a little outside the village.
Women’s groups from the communities are central to ASUD’s project, which can also be seen at the new sites. The women carry the project in many ways: they join together in groups and support each other in constructing and developing their own permaculture gardens.
The women also support the schools and their children by working in the school garden. In this way, they acquire a lot of knowledge and at the same time learn new techniques, which they can implement at home. Thomas Ngwira, ASUD’s Executive Director, points out: “I have learnt that the whole community benefits from the women’s support, as they are directly responsible for the family’s well-being.”
Currently, four other primary schools in northern Malawi are implementing the same project at their premises. Ownership, i.e. the fact that the project belongs to the people involved and is implemented and supported by them, is also a key priority at these new sites. Thomas Ngwira is convinced that this is the only way the projects will make sense and last in the long term.
During our last visit, there were festive inauguration ceremonies. The newly planted school gardens, the new pigsties and the banana plantations were visited and celebrated by the people. The joy about this project and the importance for the people were clearly noticeable.
Our partner organisation FENAMAD supports indigenous students in the Peruvian Amazon who have to move to the city for their studies.
Indigenous Youth Living in Two Worlds
Our partner organisation FENAMAD (Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes) supports indigenous students in the Peruvian Amazon who have to move to the city for their studies. The organisation also supports secondary school students. Higher education provides a great opportunity for the young people themselves as well as for the indigenous communities. That is why FENAMAD works at various interfaces and supports the young people and children in accessing education and in acquiring further social and intercultural skills.
Photo report from the project in Peru
More and more indigenous young people are moving to the city to study. However, it is a big challenge for them in many ways. They often have very limited financial resources, which means that they cannot afford stable housing and healthy food. And often there is no adequate care available to them. In addition, they repeatedly encounter discrimination.
JJosé Antonio Dumas and Katya Mallea from FENAMAD coordinate and manage the education project in Puerto Maldonado and Pilcopata. FENAMAD supports the indigenous students in their balancing act between living in their community and studying in the city. For the time of their studies, the students can live in the “Casa Miraflores”, a residence which is provided by FENAMAD and which offers the young people a safe space where they can live and study. In addition, they receive individual support from Katya Mallea (r.), a psychological specialist, who helps them develop their self-confidence and plan their future. Personal tutoring and artistic workshops are also available to them.
Half an hour’s boat ride from Puerto Maldonado is a community garden, which is looked after and maintained by the young people under the supervision of a former student and graduate farmer. The route across the water is normal in the Peruvian Amazon, often even the only possibility to reach certain spots. Depending on the water level and the weather, they visit the garden twice a week in small groups.
After the boat ride, the trail leads through the rainforest for half an hour.
Once in the garden, they immediately get to work. Many young people used to help with gardening in their village communities when they were young and therefore know their way around.. The picture shows them gathering turmeric, which they use in the kitchen. Through gardening the young people learn to take responsibility for their own existence among other things.
They also grow plantains, which are an important ingredient of the Peruvian cuisine, especially in the Amazon lowlands. The yields from the community garden provide a balanced diet for the students. It also provides them with an occupation close to nature and their culture and is an important counterbalance to life in the city.
The education project would not be possible without close cooperation with the village communities. Therefore, FENAMAD regularly visits the communities to identify their problems and needs and to look for solutions together with them. For these visits, the path often leads across water as well.
On our last visit we went with FENAMAD to Puerto Luz, where an extensive meeting with the whole village community took place. We exchanged ideas about the young people’s studies and their lives in the city, far away from their families. Studying in the city is also a political issue for the whole community and a beneficial result for the community is expected. This meeting clearly showed how important FENAMAD’s support services in Puerto Maldonado are for these young indigenous students, a fact which was also confirmed in the various conversations with the parents and the teachers of the secondary school.
During the visits to the village communities FENAMAD talks to the young people and their parents. In these conversations, questions and problems, but also expectations and wishes are discussed. In this way mutual trust has developed in the last few years and the project has become well established in the indigenous communities.
Some students come from communities that can be reached in five hours, but in other cases, the journey takes several days. Depending on the water level of the river, it can happen that the students are not able to visit their families for several months. In addition, transport is very expensive.
FENAMAD now also supports secondary school students in Huacaria, a community where Machigenkas, Wachiperis and Quechuas live together. There is no secondary school in Huacaria itself. The nearest one is in Pilcopata – too far away for the young people from Huacaria to attend school regularly and without problems.
That is one of the reasons why many indigenous young people from Huacaria do not get beyond primary education. The municipality, together with FENAMAD, is therefore looking for a way to stop these frequent cases of dropping out.
The solution is a residential house in Pilcopata for the students from Huacaria but also for those from even remoter communities. EcoSolidar has financed the construction of this house, consisting of bedrooms, toilets and showers, a kitchen and a “maloka” (community house) in the middle.The “maloka” was built by the parents and their children in community work. Thus the involved parties intend to counteract the fact that many children drop out of school, either because the ways to school are too long or because the families are too poor. Now the young people can live in Pilcopata during the week, where the secondary school is also located, and return to their communities at the weekend. The community is prepared to organise the supervision and preparation of meals for the young people and FENAMAD is providing a tutor for school supervision.
In Amalia, a very small community, there is a primary school that was built by the community itself. This primary school is currently attended by 12 children. These children should later have the opportunity to attend secondary school. FENAMAD assists the community as an advisory and mediating counterpart.
Amalia can only be reached by boat or by walking through the rainforest for several hours. FENAMAD works with full dedication; in cooperation with the communities and the students, they are able to take a holistic approach.
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