2020-3 Sugar Cane Growing, Squeezed in Rustic Juicer. Foundation Thanks Many.
The advances made by the Foundation during the last few years are thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, Colombian, indigenous, and those from abroad, and of other ecological groups. We are united in the goal of working in harmony with nature, to create a space of cooperation between the hermanos mayores and the hermanitos menores. We are forever appreciative to the tribes of the Sierra Nevada for their gracious collaboration and guidance. There are no words to express the importance of their knowledge and their generosity in sharing their lifestyle with us. A special thanks to the Kogi mamas, Mama Pedro and Mama Migueliyi who have been always been there for jate Jairo. Thanks to the help of other Foundation members, Itamar Vargas and Yeroham Vargas, for sharing their knowledge and experience, gleaned from having lived their entire lives among the native people of the Sierra, and for all their hard work. Juana Marino, secretary of the Foundation, has been untiring in her work as a teacher and translator. We'd also like to thank the Sunrise Rotary Club of Saint Augustine, Florida, especially Bill Hamilton, for their significant support of Fundación Escuela Sintana y Tierra Negra over the years. Their love and respect of the indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada has helped make this dream a reality. Bordering the Buritaca River, upstream from Tierra Negra, Monica Beltran and her husband Bjorn De Boeck, el mono, have a sustainable farm (Bio-reserve Quebrada del Platano) of 200 hectares where they grow organic food and are preserving the native forest. They are a positive example for the district. They have helped to reopen the local school of the Quebrada del Platano vicinity, which presently offers classes at the primary level. The nearby Rio Hostel, named best eco-hostel in Colombia, is helping also with this project. We hope to have more volunteers who can help with this labor. Due to its remote location it is hard to find teachers. We want to educate the children in ecology with projects such a reforestation with native species, especially near water sources and river banks, and processing garbage and recycling, so that these young people are aware of their ecological responsibility as guardians and protectors of nature. We also want them to learn about and from their indigenous neighbors – the four tribes of the Sierra, and overcome the habitual distrust created by ignorance. Since we are in proximity to the indigenous reserves, it is imperative that we establish in all, the respect for these ancient people. |