It all started this past February, when five desperate people cried out for help at Paria Peninsula… That “electronic” cry was promptly answered by our sister Heidi Bauer with the Red de Ecoaldeas de México, who immediately contacted us. As of that moment, a thousand ideas sprang to life between Solidaridad de Paria <solparia@cantv.net> and the Centro Venezolano de Ecoaldeas y Permacultura - CEVEP <cevep3000@cantv.net> about how we could help 15 communities surrounding the town of Güiria, capital of the Municipality of Valdéz, Sucre State in Venezuela. Güiria, located near Trinidad & Tobago is one hour away from Macuro, the little village that saw Christopher Columbus set foot in Venezuela on his third voyage to America, August 11, 1498, and is, 500 years later, still a land forgotten in time and space… Güiria is a very warm town, peoplewise and climatewise. The King Star is merciless with its inhabitants, the intense blue ocean restlessly swaying its waters that join the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Its architecture, its sweets, its typical foods, its people and folklore bear English names telling us its closeness to that culture throughout its history. In several communities with curious names like Yoco, La Toma, Guaraguarita, Guaramita, Las Malvinas y Guarama del Medio, we were warmly welcomed for a ten day visit, by people who attended our five workshops of Consensus Decision Making, Building with Cob, Introduction to Permaculture, Vermicomposting and Passive Solar Technology. These communities have historically been forgotten by the government and were expecting alternative ways to become self-sustainable. Shortly after the workshops ended, results began to materialize. The community of Guaraguarita got together to form a collective for building with cob; the community of Yoco made its first decision using consensus and this decision was: to work in Consensus. Also, members of several communities seriously considered the possibility to set up micro-enterprises dedicated to producing and selling organic fertilizer such as compost. In this respect, all communities understood the urgency to stop using chemical pesticides such as DDT, banned in industrialized countries many years ago, but which continues to be sold in “Third World” countries as a solution to their “agricultural problems”. It was an extremely exciting and gratifying experience for us! …Those people opened up their hearts to us and let through our message of ecology, quality of life, sustainability, and above all, of love to all the things we do. By Giomar Sarmiento Centro Venezolano de Ecoaldeas Giomar Sarmiento & 014 2000257 - 014 9075102
AT PARIA PENINSULA, LIFE BEGINS TO BE SUSTAINABLE!
All of us facilitating the workshops, Orlando Balbás, Alejandro Ascanio, Juan Ferreira, Giomar Sarmiento and Daniel Zahalka, felt overwhelmed by the love, special attention, enthusiasm, joy, laughter, ideas and ingenious participation of more than 100 people with a huge thirst for knowledge, and unselfish with their help.
y Permacultura - CEVEP
(Venezuelan Ecovillage & Permaculture Center)
Daniel Zahalka, Coordinators
E-mail: <cevep3000@cantv.net>
