Location: Islas del Rosario. Afro-Colombian community (2014)

The Community Council of Islas del Rosario is the legal organization that represents the community of 800 people gathered in 120 families. We inhabit for more than 200 years the islands of the archipelago of Islas del Rosario

We are descendants of Baru, a village created one year after the abolition of slavery by the slaves of “hacienda Baru”

Participants. We had a constant group of 15 participants and during the different activities a group of 55 people participante.

Introduction to the course to the community

Facilitators

Andres Pardo, Ancestral traditions Carlos Rojas, social dimension

Holger Hieronimi, Ecology dimension Juan Alberto Bertel “Pampe” traditional musician

Ever de la Rosa, Leader and rep of the Community Council

Ana Rosa Martinez, Community ecotourism leader

Eika de la Rosa coordnator Life Plan Ladyluz de La Rosa - local support

Sandry, Graciela, Dibeis Local support

Several local leaders gave different

contributions to the course

From sharing their challenges to what are the best solutions they have found during the

process of becoming an traditional ecovillage

Dennise Dueñas, communications Margarita O. Zethelius, general coordinator

Hernando , Traditional knowledge

Facilitators

Some of our classrooms, the big caucho

We have a three week intense course with sessions in different locations of the Island. As the main participants where grassroots people the practical activities where the ones with more interest and as the program was evolving we concentrate more in those and less in the theory

Some of our classrooms, Communitarian Ecohotel las Palmeras. We learned from the experience of Ana Rosa how a native can be an entrepreneur and develop its one Ecotourism project in articulation with the community plan of collective ownership of the territory and recognition of rights for afro-colombian people

Workshop non violent comunicación and conflict resolution Facilitator Social dimension Carlos Rojas

Knowledge exchange. Jorge from the Zenu (indigenous community) teaches the art of making huts with palm leafs

Activities in the school: talks, peace dances, conflict resolution

Project design and developed by all the group. Cleaning day in the Nispero, the tree identify by the Mamos (indigenous traditional leaders) as a sacred tree

Conflict resolution in practice. After a small case of robbery we invite all the community to a conflict resolution activity. All of us gave our support to solve the situation and generate commitment in the work with youth in the Isla. “We are experiencing a power manifested when we communicate from the heart and not from the defensive and aggressive mania mind. A mind that wants to simplify the existence creating simple polarities”

Ecological dimension by Holger Hieronimi.

Recognition of the land uses. visit to las “rosas” places for planting. Visit to the project of nursery a step in the process of elders involvement and the program of forest enrichment.

Exercise: mapping analysis, changes in land use

Land area zoning exercise

18

Zoning exercise. Taking collective decisions about land use.

Ecological design in ecohostel “Las Flores”

20

Learning to make soap from used oil. Experimenting with oil coming from fried fish, the challenge !the fish smell!

Exploring economic

alternatives

Lessons learned by Arnela Simancas participant from Islas del Rosario

Peace dances and elders involvement. Facilitated by: Carlos Rojas

Graduation!!! Celebration and mutual recognition

Graduation!!! Celebration and mutual recognition

Finances

This EDE aim is to have as much grassroots community leaders as possible, in order to be able to facilitate this we needed to lowest the costs as much as possible.

This EDE was possible thanks of join efforts between different organizations, the facilitators and the community of Islas del Rosario.

The table shows the costs and the counterparts of different organizations in Colombian pesos

Total cost

Contrapartida ecohoteles y consejo Comunitario

Contrapartida Agenda Caribe

Contrapartida CASA

Otras contrapartidas y aportes

Food $8,700,000 $4,350,000 $4,350,000 $900,000Accommodation $4,500,000 $4,050,000 $450,000

Transport $1,920,000 $720,000 $1,200,000

Other $3,040,000 $1,500,000 $310,000 $150,000 $940,000

Total $9,900,000 $1,030,000 $4,500,000 $3,490,000