The End of an Era

After over 6 years of intensive research and community development work in and around the Yachana Reserve, GVI Amazon is coming to a close. We have finished our final research project (look forward to our Road Effects paper, coming soon!) and are handing over the project to our partner, The Yachana Foundation. They will continue to maintain and monitor the reserve, using it as an hands-on science education center for students -- we're very excited to see what fabulous things this next generation of scientists find! For more detail on GVI Amazon's closure, and our accomplishments over the years, please read on...
GVI Amazon Closure Statement

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Community work in Puerto Salazar

Salazar is a 50-55 minute walk from the GVI camp along a straight road past Puerto Rico. 89 people live within the community constituting seven families. 30-40 of the inhabitants are over 25, thus the majority of the population is under 25 years of age.

In Salazar a school for 4-12 year olds operates 0700-1200 Monday to Friday; 18 pupils attend. The teachers are from Tena and stay in Salazar Sunday- Thursday. No English lessons are given. Pupils of 12-20 years can continue their education at the colegio in Baboya Community, a 15 minute walk from Salazar. At present 4-5 people from Salazar attend the college. Meanwhile the other young people work in the fields.

A ‘kindergarten’ will also be starting for 0-4 year olds with singing, dancing, clapping, and playing. The building is currently under construction, and the President invited GVI to participate in this ‘minga’.

The main work in the community is farming manioca, plantain, rice, maize, cacao which crops sold at Cruzchita market. Electricity is expected to arrive in April 2010.

On Saturday 24th October 2009 GVI Amazon made a trip to Salazar Community to teach English and play football. This followed an invite from Salazar’s President, Efrain Ramiro Licuy Tanguila, at a previous match in Puerto Rico. English was taught to approximately 15-20 children of ages 5-15 (more children kept arriving and joining in). Primarily small groups of two or three children were formed with a volunteer teaching each group ‘What is your name?’ etc. Afterwards the whole group got chanting 1-7 to some funky dance moves. The children went away with a sheet of what they had covered in the class. Also, three ladies in their 20/30s had a class with Jill and Lucy. The ladies had no knowledge of English but were very keen and successfully learnt introductions and number 1-10. After over an hour of classes there was a football match and a frisbee game for the children which incorporated the dancing to numbers game. Finally, the community made ‘chicha’ for all of GVI volunteers and staff.


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