A wonderful year

This was an incredible year in which we did many wonderful things. Therefore, we would like to take a tour of what was our year, all thanks to you and this wonderful project that grows year after year.

This year we started in Cartagena, along with the "Morales Girl" in Cartagena, making the best artisanal fair on the coast; "Farex" there we present the new entrepreneurs of the project that we had been working with GIZ and national parks. Sheira and Yosuu, presented their new collections and the leaders had the opportunity to learn to present at a fair and present their ventures to all visitors. Cartagena was a success and the Foundation continued to support the 5 communities of Manaure. It was the first fair we made after two years of pandemic where both the foundation and the communities yearned with enthusiasm.

February was very special since we managed to deliver school kits to communities so that children could start this year with all energies and support families who do not have the ability to give children these supplies. It is important because education is the semiila of change and children are the future of communities.

March and April were months of intense training in high Guajira. Dodging the rains and climatic changes, the foundation team arrived in Bahía Hondita, a jewel of the desert that houses and protects mangroves and with them the hundreds of species, crocodiles, flamingos, lobsters. The community only only speaks Wayunaiki and for its location and little contact with the interior, they are very pure people like the landscape. They are dedicated to fishing, crafts and maintain traditions that in many Wayuu communities have been lost.

We also continue working with Portete and Yariwanishi in the communities of National Parks in order to strengthen their organizational and productive abilities, as well as in design and marketing areas.

 

In May we held a bioconstruction workshop in the community of Manaure. The workshop was a success and we managed to make our first tapia step or "Rammed Earth" as well as painting murals with natural pigments. The community home was beautiful !!
They also went to Kalapuipa in Bahía Honda and the mural painting workshop was held. They were very happy because although they have excellent materials in their territories, they had never painted natural pigments and had made seals.

June we started our desired sewing workshop. Our Glow With the Flow project took place !! We managed to get 5 sewing machines and train 16 women from the Cabri-Totos community to sew Wayuu blankets, re-utilizable menstrual towels and some fabric packaging. They were taught to use the different flat, fillet and collerin machines. The women were very happy with this new venture.

This same workshop was held in Portete and Yariwanishi and concentrated on blankets. It was not easy to wear the machines and despite the wind and the sand, the workshops were a success and each woman made her blanket.

In July we were in Bogota at the Buro Fair who for the first time supported us along with Giz in the presentation of the ancestral art of the communities. In this bearing and yariwanishi they took their new collections their own and Kalapuipa presented its Junna brand. People's support was excellent!

In September we were selected for the Google For Startup entrepreneurship program for women. It was very intense and we managed to learn a lot together with several companies in Latin America.

In October we were selected by promising a gender equity program. Also with several companies in the region all looking at how to achieve greater equity internally externally. Next year we start our project and we will be telling you !!

November was a very special month because we managed to wear 35 bicycles from Bogota to Circuekat and reward the students of the reading club that very judicious have assisted on Fridays and Saturdays to practice reading and writing. We also managed to carry the donation of desks and water tanks
to take advantage of heavy rains and collect water.

We also managed to go to the communities of Alta Guajira and prepare the trip. Leaders for Bogotá for presenting in Expoartesanias and Vassar.

December was the "graduation" for the communities of Portete and Yariwanishi that during a year and a half were trained with the Foundation and presented their independent ventures of the Foundation in Expoartesanias. The fair was a success and all the concepts learned applied.

This year we achieved great challenges and we are happy and grateful for all the support. Thank you GIZ, national parks, all our donors, volunteers and people who support us. 2022 was a wonderful year!