Maria
Maria Presentación, CHIMBORAZO, Ecuador
September 10, 2010 – Reported by Emma Kirwan
Maria Presentación is the president of a farming cooperative of nearly 90 indigenous women in Galtes, a rural village located at 11,500 ft. A ten-month period of drought has devastated families’ food supplies and income. Peaks Over Poverty´s development partners are working with Maria’s group to overcome these problems by rescuing traditional farming practices and native seeds. Over 2,000 varieties of potatoes originally existed in the Andes, but more than 80% have been lost with the industrialization of agriculture. Now, the women are planting a variety of Andean potatoes to see which survive drought; this helps decrease their dependency on just one variety. The women will split the productive crops, save those seeds, and re-plant them on their own land. One day they hope to create a native seed bank for their entire community. READ THE FULL STORY >>
Bertha
Bertha Pumaquero, CHIMBORAZO, Ecuador
July 11 2010 – Reported by Vicente Parra, Translated by Robert Frisch
Like hundreds of rural farmers from the Chimborazo mountain province in Ecuador, Bertha Pumaquero abandoned her community when she was young and emigrated with her parents to the provincial city of Riobamba. In her adolescence, Bertha became a wife and a mother, and quickly understood the difficulty of raising a family in poverty. Bertha’s first job took her back to her roots, where she tackled rural issues that caused her family to emigrate in the first place; poor health care and education. Years later, Bertha is at the forefront of a movement to empower women, train midwives, and prioritize agricultural education. “I used to be a coward who was frightened to speak in front of anyone. Now I am a leader. What I want more than anything is to see more female leaders who have the confidence, love and work ethic to serve their community. I know that there are more indigenous women like me; we just have to do away with fear.” READ THE FULL STORY >> (Español >>)
Photo: Bertha administers a literacy test in a community. Credit: Stephen Sherwood
Elena
Elena Tenelema, CHIMBORAZO, Ecuador
Reported by Vicente Parra, June 21, 2010
Elena Tenelema is a young indigenous woman from the small village of Tzimbuto Quincaguan, tucked at over 4,000 meters high in the folds of the Chimborazo Province. Elena’s biggest challenge has been empowering the women in her community; “like the farm animals, the women would rarely leave their homes and didn’t have any rights.” It has been a long journey, but Elena’s efforts are finally coming to fruition. “There are now about ten women who have become leaders in the community – they are no longer afraid to speak openly and participate in town meetings…READ THE FULL STORY >> (Español >>)
Alfonso
Alfonso and Olga Juma, CHOTA, Ecaudor
Alfonso and Olga live with their three children on a small farm in Ambuqui, a drought-stricken village of Ecuador’s northern Andes. When we visited, Alfonso and Olga said that they earned just $700/year, mainly through working as laborers in the nearby city of Ibarra. Alfonso explained that access to water was the biggest challenge to feeding his family, adding: “I am so poor that I am embarrassed when my children look at me.” Peaks Over Poverty’s local partner, EkoRural, has helped Alfonso and Olga to discover “hidden” sources of water through farmer-to-farmer exchange visits and training. Just 18 months into the process, Alfonso and Olga’s income has grown from about $700 to $1,700 per year, enabling them to pay off their debts ahead of schedule and to purchase more land. Now, Alfonso proudly says, “My farm has become an oasis … I no longer feel embarrassed to be a father.” READ THE FULL STORY >>
Photo: Alfonso shows other farmers how to build a water tank with used tires to catch rainfall.
Luis
Luis, PICHINCHA, Ecuador
Reported by Kristy Lynn Allen, April 5, 2010
Luis made it his life’s goal to win back his land and someday have peace of mind. So began his life as a farmer on the slopes of Ilalo. Farming on the slopes of Illalo is not an easy way of life by any means. It demands dangerous and very labor intensive work….
READ THE FULL STORY >>
Where EkoRural Works
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