The “We are all Mashpi” event brought the families from the community together to spend time having fun.
On Sunday, March 3, Fundacion Futuro and the community of San Jose de Mashpi held an event called “We are all Mashpi,” a potluck arranged for the inhabitants living in the area to get to know each other better and celebrate their diversity. The majority of area inhabitants populated the sector more than 40 years ago. They came from different provinces, such as Esmeraldas, Imbabura, Loja, and Manabi, and from other countries such as Costa Rica, Italy and France.
Photograph: Inhabitants of San Jose de Mashpi preparing food for the potluck.
Together, as a community, they shared food, swapped stories, and strengthened their friendships. This was one of the first activities organized under the sustainable development and conservation programs that Fundacion Futuro is implementing around Mashpi to build a sustainable and inclusive landscape.
Participants were given instructions to bring a typical dish from their place of origin. An Ecuadorian – Costa Rican family that has a cacao plantation prepared a vegan chocolate mousse with products grown in Mashpi through sustainable agricultural practices. Other families prepared tilapia with fried plantain and palm-heart ceviche.
Photograph: Vegan cholocate mousse (Left) and Tilapia with fried plantain (Right), dishes prepared by community members.
Sounds of the Forest: Between Technology and Human Experience
In an increasingly digitalized world, we have become disconnected from nature and diminished our intention to seek connection with it. However, it is possible to harness technology itself to disseminate and share the stories of the natural world and reconnect with it from a perhaps unconventional perspective: sound.
Transporting ourselves from A to B requires efficiency and responsibility, but it must remain sustainable.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to vehicle transport, but realistically we won’t be able to replace all vehicles in one shot. If we see this as a personal responsibility towards sustainability, understanding private vehicle transport can also contribute to reducing our environmental footprint. We just need to adjust our sails a bit.
Women’s networks in the Andean Chocó: shaping reality through creativity and empowerment
Women from a number of communities in the Andean Chocó region are on a road to becoming stronger, their knowledge being re-valued and to being recognized for their work and their roles as guardians of a greener society. Empowered and determined to create support networks, they demonstrate that both their knowledge and wisdom are engines for the development of independent and sustainable projects over time.