Ecuador: S/GWI Project Proposals

UNCLAS QUITO 000188 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KWMN KPAO PHUM AID EC SUBJECT: Ecuador: S/GWI Project Proposals REF: STATE 132094; STATE 12531 ¶1. Embassy Quito submits the following two proposals for consideration by the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues small grant initiative. Both proposals were submitted by respected local organizations with the capacity to achieve the stated goals and meet USG requirements for accountability and reporting and meet the requirements listed in reftel. The proposals below are copied from the original documents submitted by each organization and have not been edited by Post, other than re-formatting for cable transmission. The first proposal responds to a well-defined need among indigenous women working in mountainous areas of the country to understand and respond to climate change in the fragile ecosystems of their high-altitude farms. Indigenous women are traditionally a marginalized group by almost every measure, and giving them the skills and knowledge to respond to changing environments will help keep both the communities and ecological systems protected, while empowering women to take charge of the environmental and economic changes that will impact their livelihoods. This project dovetails with current efforts at Post, defined in the FY2010 Mission Strategic Plan (MSP),to promote economic growth and sustainable development, including efforts to promote environmental protection. ¶2. The second proposal is also targeted to marginalized indigenous women, but the target groups are located in the eastern Amazon provinces. Building on previous development efforts to promote cultural preservation and economic self-sufficiency, the program will enable women to commercialize and market their traditional handicrafts, which will help provide sustainable livings and encourage their participation in the economic life of their communities. This project also serves the FY2010 MSP goal of promoting economic growth and sustainable development. ¶3. If the proposals received funding, the grants can be issued at Post by warranted grants officers in the Public Affairs Section, with the grants officer responsibilities held by the human rights officer in the Political Section. The Political Section will take the lead in grants monitoring and reporting the information to the grants officer at Post and to S/GWI. Both sections understand the requirements for both mid-term and final reporting and accountability for project funds. NOTE: both organizations submitted proposals that met the guidelines in reftel, but cable formatting by Post has changed the layout and formatting significantly. The originals will be emailed toQGWI separately. ¶4. Proposal 1: Organization: FONAG (www.fonag.org.ec) Title: CLIMATE CHANGE, A CHALLENGE FOR PARAMO WOMEN ¶1. PROBLEM: The rural, indigenous communities where the project will be located are found within the cantons of Quito, Mejia, Cayambe (in the Pichincha province),and El Chaco (in the Napo province). These communities exist above 3,000 meters altitude in what is uniquely known as a paramo ecosystem. The paramo is a tropical mountain ecosystem located between the limits of Andean forests and the snowline. A large portion of each protected area where the Fund for Water Protection (FONAG) works (Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve, Antisana, Ilinizas and Cotopaxi National Park) encompasses this classification of ecosystem which benefits Andean populations with numerous environmental services, especially water, due to its primary function in water regulation. Thanks to these contributions, 70% of water consumed within the Metropolitan District of Quito is attributed to the paramo. The main productive activities of these communities are agriculture and livestock which, given its intensity and extent, have resulted in the advancement of the agricultural frontier. This has not only detrimentally affected the vegetation cover and biodiversity within these regions but also has a direct effect on soil and water quality. Aside from local impacts produced by intensive agricultural and extensive livestock activities, there exists a global threat to paramo ecosystems, which are especially vulnerable to climate change. Since this ecosystem is restricted to high mountain areas, any variation in temperature poses a threat to local species, soil properties, and unique climate characteristics. "The climate is no longer the same as before," say the people in paramo communities. Significant decreases in annual rainfall, persistent droughts, and increasing frost cover have directly impacted the quantity and quality of locally grown crops as well as the food cycles that sustain these agricultural communities. In turn, these factors have intensified the poverty in which the communities live. A large portion of agricultural practices are currently inefficient in the paramo due to the inappropriate usage of seeds, monocultures, poor soil care, misuse of water, and insufficient pest control among others issues. Additionally, paramo inhabitants depend on rain cycles and favourable conditions within the ecosystem for the provision of water. In turn, this strongly emphasises the importance of conservation within protected areas that provide potable water to a large human population. The local families have already sought alternatives in order to adapt to changing climate. Women have formed watch groups for frost prevention by implementing traditional Andean techniques used to protect crops. Other families have chosen to search for and select resistant seed strains and promote agro-biodiversity. However, for many families the only option is migration and land abandonment. Women living in the communities where the project will be implemented are responsible for roughly 50% of food production used for domestic consumption. In practice, these women play a majority role in the management and utilization of the local natural resources, making them the most vulnerable group to the effects of climate change and local environmental issues. Linked to the problems described above is also the issue of historical and cultural gender inequality. Traditionally, a woman's role focuses more on the production aspect and not on product management and/or decision making regarding proper resource management. ¶2. PROPOSAL SUMMARY This project seeks the involvement of paramo women as guardians of traditional practices and resource conservation, taking into account that these are the people facing climate change as a current reality. The women of the paramo, given the opportunity, stand to create harmonious development within their communities and provide appropriate access and usage of the resources which they manage. Through this integrated process, women will be given the chance to improve and demonstrate practical skills, exercise their rights, and enhance their role in finding appropriate solutions to environmental issues. The project also presents the challenge of consolidating, promoting and developing adaptive activities related to climate change and creating spaces that allow women located in the paramo to strengthen their abilities and balance their role in the community - whether social, economic or environmental. Additionally, the project seeks to be a link for women from the four protected areas and their buffer zones to establish spaces for learning, discussion, and proposal regarding environmental, social, and economic issues. This, in turn, coincides with the conservation of protected areas. The strategies of this proposal are: ¶1. Capacity building for women in paramo communities located within protected areas and/or their buffer zones in the following themes: climate change adaptation, conservation, gender rights, organization, and production development. ¶2. Development of alternative products adapted to climate change led by women. ¶3. Recuperation, recovery, and socialization of knowledge and practices of women living in protected areas within the paramo and its buffer zones in relation to climate change. ¶3. SUSTAINABILITY FONAG is a private equity fund with a lifespan of 80 years and, through a trust fund, has been operating since January, 2000. It is regulated by the Securities Markets Act. FONAG's equity capital is comprised of mixed contributions from local businesses as well as private and international institutions. FONAG aims to lead processes and consensus through dialogue, appropriate decision making, strengthening of research, and the use of appropriate technology to achieve Integrated Water Resources Management, where active, responsible, and caring participation from human beings will lead to the indefinite, sustainable management of the resource. The trust is an economic financial mechanism that is permanent and stable. It uses income from assets to co-finance activities, projects, and rehabilitation programs. It also works to conserve and manage the watersheds which supply water for human usage and productive activities in the Metropolitan District of Quito and its area of influence. To achieve its objective, FONAG has developed a series of programs and projects that seek to rehabilitate, care for, and conserve water sources which are supplied to the Metropolitan District of Quito and its areas of influence. Seven of every ten liters of water consumed by residents of the DMQ (Metropolitan District of Quito) comes from the nature reserves of Cayambe-Coca, Antisana, Los Ilinizas and Cotopaxi National Park as part of the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) administered by the Ministry of Environment. In 2004, FONAG promoted the birth of the Surveillance and Monitoring Program designed to last 20 years. One of the challenges promoted by the program is to integrate the various community actors currently interfering with protected areas or their buffer zones to protect their natural resources through capacity building, generating suggestions through participatory means, and the development of alternatives which take into consideration the sensitivity of the environment. Since 2006, twenty community projects have been implemented with approximately 350 families who are involved in the conservation of the natural environment of the paramo. These projects work to develop and strengthen human capabilities while integrating productive activities that are linked to resource protection. Previously developed projects have focused on various eco-productive activities such as agro-ecology, integrated farms, the processing of medicinal plants, ecotourism, and pasture improvement, among others. There is a common characteristic within the projects developed by the program: 80% of the participants in all activities are women. These are women who take responsibility for disseminating knowledge through conversations with friends and family and who have an invested interest in the land and the products which it generates. This involvement has signified the undertaking of new challenges that also strengthen their role in decision making and the exercising of power. FONAG's input and experience will contribute to the posterior actions of the project in its search for sustainability and replication. However, it is the exercising of women's power, acquiring of knowledge, and linking of strategies with productive commercial sectors that will allow each community to create sustainable conditions for responsible and opportune development regarding climate change. ¶4. OBJECTIVES, OUTPUTS, & INDICATORS Project Strategy General Objective: To implement effective strategies and practices for adaptation to climate change in terms of capacity building of women's groups in paramo zones Indicators: - 18 months in four communities located in protected areas and/or their buffer zones. At least 100 women will have strengthened their capabilities in the training axes identified by the project: rights - At least 60 women in four protected areas or their buffer zones have the capacity to develop productive projects that take into account environmental protection and climate change adaptation. - At least 60 families of four protected areas and/or their buffer zones will have been involved in a project linked to a community adaptation strategy that improves the economic conditions of households headed by women Verification: Monitoring Plan and Participatory Evaluation , Progress Reports, Photos of the process Specific Objective 1. Developing the skills of Ecuadorian women living in four protected areas or in their buffer zones in the exercising of their rights, appreciation of their culture, and self-esteem. Indicators: - In 18 months at least 100 women from four communities living in protected areas or their buffer zones will have been involved in a process of discussion, exchange and training in the following areas: women's rights, organization, productive development, climate change and conservation Verification: Socialized document regarding training in rights, culture and self-esteem Reports of training events, Photography, Evaluation of events Result 1.1. The capacities of women in four communities of protected areas will be strengthened in local adaptation strategies regarding climate change, development of sustainable, productive projects and organization. Indicators: - At least 100 women will have participated in a training process on climate change strategies and conservations regarding protected areas over the course of at least 3 workshops in their communities. - At least 60 women will have participated in two integration forums of between women of the 4 protected areas to share their experiences, challenges and opportunities as women regarding climate change. - At least 100 women will have strengthened their organizational abilities and will be able to develop eco-productive projects as a strategy to adapt to climate change. Verification: Organizational training plan - economic and environmental Memories of planning and deveQpment of events Lists of attendees Event Evaluation Result 1.2. These women will have strengthened their ability to exercise their rights, culture and self-esteem as women living in communities in the four protected areas and/or their buffer zones. Indicator: - At least 100 women from four communities living within protected areas or their buffer zones will have participated in 4 events: rights training, cultural self-esteem, and strengthening their communities Verification: Socialized document of training plan regarding rights, culture, and self-esteem, Memories of training events, Photography, Event evaluation Objetivo specific 2. Implement and/or strengthen productive initiatives for adaptation to climate change led by Ecuadorian women in four communities located in four protected areas Indicator: - Over the course of 18 months, there will have been four environmental projects - productive adaptation to climate change led by women from four communities in priority protected areas with food sovereignty Verification: Project proposals approved, Operational plans, Project participation, Project progress Result 2.1 Participating women will have been developed and/or expanded four productive and sustainable community alternatives in order to adapt to climate change Indicator: - In 18 months, participating women will have been identified and implemented four proposals for the development and/or strengthening of productive activities as an initiative of ecological adaptation to climate change. - At least 60 women will be appropriately linked to an eco-productive project in four communities in protected areas and/or their buffer zones. - Participating women will have identified at least one company and/or local and/or national institution that works with a logic of fair trade and where there is feasibility of negotiation and involvement within their value chains Verification: Community diagnostics, Bimonthly Progress in operational plans, Community project maps indicating local actors, List of actors, Photos of the process OE3. Systematize knowledge and practices to recognize and value the roles of women in adaptation strategies regarding climate change and the protection of natural resources Indicator: - In 18 months, four experiences will have been systematized with women from protected areas and/or their buffer zones for the conservation of protected areas and measures for adaptation and mitigation of climate change Verification: Publication of documents and video collection of women's experiences. Result 3.1. The knowledge and practices of participating women will have been systemized within the four protected areas and their buffer zones Indicator: - A respectful and participatory methodology will have been developed through this community experience which will allow for systemizing and documentation the participating women's knowledge and practices as well as their roles and challenges with respect to conservation in protected areas and climate change. - At least four experiences will been documented through video and through a publication on women, protected areas, and climate change Verification: Experimental methodology on communal living for collection and documentation of the information, Reports on project progress, Document inventory of the experience, Video inventory of the experience ¶5. Project timeline: 18 months. (Note: FONAG included a graph with their activities plan. Post will forward the entire formatted project to S/GWI via email.) ¶6. Budget: Project Strategy Unit Amount US/Unit Specific objective 1. Result 1. 1. 1. A.1.1.1 Community Training: adaptation strategies and challenges of Climate Change Workshop 16 410,00 A.1.1.2. Integration Forum between women of the 4 protected areas to share the experiences, challenges and opportunities of women regarding climate change Forum 2 1.450,00 Result 1. 2 A.1.2.1 Our right to all rights Workshop 4 410,00 A.1.2.2. "Field trip" to a cultural landmark: Rights of indigenous womens groups and strengthening the culture Trip to Rural Countryside 4 350,00 A.1.2.3 The right to live in right relationships: caring and affection in our living spaces Workshop 4 410,00 A.1.2.4 Women's organization and participation Workshop 4 410,00 A.1.2.5. Women living and strengthen their leadership Workshop 4 410,00 A.1.2.6. Workshop on the Development of Productive Ecological Projects Workshop 4 810,00 Specific Objective 2. Result 2.1. A.2.1 Participatory diagnostic: social, economic, environmental and productive communities Consultation 1 8.000,00 A.2.2. Submission of proposals for productive projects such as ecological adaptation strategies to climate change Workshop 4 205,00 A.2.3. Development Projects: productive ecological adaptation to climate change Project 4 9.500,00 A.3.4. Monitoring and Evaluation Thesis 2 3.060,00 Specific Objective 3 Result 3.1. A.3.1. Experiential methodology to systematize and document the knowledge and practices of women, their roles and challenges with respect to conservation in protected areas and climate change Workshop 4 810,00 A.3.2. Presentation and approval of proposals for documentation of experiences Workshop 4 205,00 A.3.3 Script shots made and approved Consultation 1 4.000,00 A.3.4. Video and Document Editing Consultation 1 4.000,00 A.3.5. Review of video and document drafts Qnsultation 1 800,00 A.3.6. Review and approval of video and document Consultation 1 800,00 Coordinator 18 600,00 Subtotal Visibility: FONAG & USG 2% Total 100.021,20 ¶5. Proposal 2: Organization: Sinchi Sacha (www.sinchisacha.org) Title: INDIGENOUS WOMEN, TRADITIONAL CRAFTS AND MARKET CONCEPT PAPER ¶1. SUMMARY Project Title Indigenous women, traditional crafts and market Location Ecuadorian Amazonia Project Duration 18 months Total Budget USD$ 100,000.oo Programme Sectors Economic opportunity Beneficiaries 50 omen leaders and 250 people ¶2. BACKGROUND The Ecuadorian Amazonia is characterized by its ecological fragility, ethnical diversity, and extraordinary biodiversity. It is precisely those, the ancestral indigenous territories, the ones considered to be in good condition, with more than 6 million Hectares of native forest, representing 50% of the country's forests. Indigenous women are the mainstay to give continuity to the traditional ways of living, of which the main characteristic is conservation of natural resources. Sinchi Sacha Foundation (www.sinchisacha.org ) has promoted cooperation relations with indigenous populations in the Amazonia, particularly women, for some 15 years now, fostering the development of artisanal production initiatives under the concept of Fair Trade. Family production units got involved in a range of activities which promoted artisanal production and commercialization, recovery of cultural heritage of these peoples, their symbols, representations of daily life, and identity values, with training strategies to improve product designs and quality. It is their work which has given aggregate value to traditional production. During all these years, they created their own commercialization spaces, from which they generated possibilities to improve products, determine prices, formalize the legal status of artisans (invoices, taxes, etc.),as well as a gradual integration to the formal market, among other aspects. These activities were carried out within the framework of the execution of USAID-funded projects, such as CAIMAN. As a result of these processes, there are now artisanal production networks in operation across the entire Ecuadorian Amazonia. From all of them, three peoples of particular characteristics stand out: - Cofan craftswomen - Kichwa women ceramicists of Pastaza - Huaorani craftswomen In each territorial space, women leaders have been in training and acting as local promoters in product identification, training in artisanal design, articulation and representation with socio-organizational structures, among others. Nevertheless, they do not have defined commercialization mechanisms, this segment being one of their main weaknesses. Summing up, they have an interesting production base, experience in creating products; they have achieved some visibility in socio-organizational structures within communities, but continue to have deficiencies in commercialization mechanisms. These are the issues addressed by the project. ¶3. PROJECT OBJECTIVES General objective: Consolidate commercialization systems of artisanal products made by craftswomen organizations of the Cofan, Kichwa of Pastaza, and Huaorani nationalities, located in the provinces of Sucumbios, Orellana, and Pastaza. Specific objectives: a. Consolidate artisanal production initiatives of indigenous women organizations b. Train indigenous women in traditional management and fair trade c. Develop product promotion, diffusion, and marketing activities ¶4. METHODOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY Each Amazonian people has its own life story and experiences in different production segments. A piece of craft is a cultural product remaining characteristic of each people, representative of specific cultural traditions. Therefore, the project proposes a general methodology, with specific approaches for each people: - The general methodology is based on the active participation of women in the design, formulation, and execution of the project. Therefore, a basic register of women leaders of each production group has been carried out, which will be completed until it reaches a total of 50 craftswomen. - Handmade products have multiple meanings which must be expressed and communicated in each one of the pieces of craft. Thus, gathering the aggregate value of culture and the way of making the products. - Pieces of craft of the Amazonia contain some environmental and cultural characteristics, this being the reason why they cannot be massively produced. They have a very high market niche within our own country, if we take into consideration the number of tourists entering the country each year (around one million),they promote the installation of a local market dynamic and the propagation of these cultural products at the local level, which inspires an aesthetic valorization of our own selves. - The art of crafting has to be in constant development and improvement, along with the development, transformation and resignification of the imagination and culture, therefore various and diverse training is needed. Craftswomen will receive training on these and other related topics, to promote relatively stable markets for them to sell their products, in viable, simple, and effective operation schemes. From the particularity of interventions, we propose the following specific methodological criteria: For Cofan craftswomen As we may know, the Cofan people are settled in disperse territories and, in all of them, the production of pieces of craft is generalized, for it is a complementary economic activity, particularly for women. Adding up all territorial spaces, we have established a participation margin of up to 15 women leaders, who at present act as local promoters in product identification, training in artisanal design, articulation and representation with socio-organizational structures, among other activities. The Ecuadorian Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the COFAN Nationality (FEINCE) will act as the local partneQwithin the project, represented by the official delegate of the organization. For Kichwa women ceramists of Pastaza In the province of Pastaza, women ceramists make their products in partnership with others, as well as with their family. From the direct market experience carried out by the Sinchi Sacha Foundation and its fair trade network, we have observed that mucahuas made in Pastaza are a product which is very appreciated by tourists and always have a high demand. The methodologiQ criteria consist on the selection of 15 craftswomen, both from organized groups and family production units. The work with this segment will be focused on providing training to women leaders to improve their ability to fulfill market orders, specific training in product size and design. For Huaorani Women The Waorani Women's Association of Ecuador (AMWAE) has been in operation in the Huaorani territory for several years. It groups more than 200 women leaders from 36 communities, who live distant from each other in a territorial extension of 678,220 Hectares. The AMWAE has its headquarters in Puyo and has a craft shop that has consolidated over time. They demand an improvement in artisanal production lines, promotion and commercialization. The Association has selected 20 women leaders, 15 of who will specialize in artisanal design, production, and orders; and the 5 remaining will provide training in the communities, on promotion and commercialization. ¶5. ACTIVITIES a. Consolidate initiatives of artisanal production of indigenous women organizations Three participation workshops on artisanal production chains Provide support for technical administration in Cofan and Huaorani craft shops Packaging techniques and attachment of informational tags on products b. Train indigenous women on artisanal management and fair trade Six workshops on artisanal management: size, price, and orders Six workshops on training for fairs and trade Exchange of experiences on craft fair trade c. Develop product promotion, diffusion, and marketing activities Print 500 documents of Cofan, Kichwa and Huaorani ethnical art for sale Print of Cofan, Kichwa and Huaorani art brands Design and printing of 3 artisanal catalogues Participation in 3 national fairs, including a fair to present results ¶6. OUTCOMES 6.1 Indigenous women organizations have strengthened family initiatives of craft production and partnership a) Fifty women have received training on artisanal production chains b) Two craft shops have improved their technical and commercial management c) All three organizations (Cofan, Kichwa, and Huaorani) have received training on packaging techniques and elaboration of informational tags. 6.2 Train indigenous women on artisanal management and fair trade a) Fifteen women leaders have been trained on artisanal management: size, price, and orders b) Fifteen women leaders have been trained on participation in fairs and artisanal trade c) Six women leaders now know how to put fair trade in practice through an exchange of experiences 6.3 Develop product promotion, diffusion, and marketing activities a) 500 documents of Cofan, Kichwa and Huaorani ethnical art have been printed for sale b) Cofan, Kichwa, and Huaorani crafts are commercialized under their own artisanal brands c) Three organizations of indigenous craftswomen have their own catalogues of artisanal products. d) They have participated in 3 national fairs, one of them dedicated to present the final results of the project ¶7. BUDGET ACTIVITIES / OUTCOMES BUDGET REQUESTED PARTNER Indigenous women organizations have strengthened family initiatives of craft production and partnership a) Fifty women leaders have received training on artisanal production chains 10.000,00 1,000.00 b) Two craft shops have improved their technical and commercial management 25.000,00 2,000.00 c) All three organizations (Cofan, Kichwa, and Huaorani) have received training on packaging techniques and elaboration of informational tags 10.000,00 Train indigenous women on artisanal management and fair trade a) Fifteen women leaders have received training on artisanal management: size, price, and orders 16.000,00 800.00 b) Fifteen women leaders have been trained on participation in fairs and artisanal trade 16.000,00 800.00 c) Six women leaders now know how to put fair trade in practice through an exchange of experiences 16.000,00 1,500.00 Develop product promotion, diffusion, and marketing activities a) 500 documents of Cofan and Huaorani ethnical art have been printed for sale 1.000,00 b) Cofan, Kichwa, and Huaorani crafts are commercialized under their own artisanal brands 1.000,00 c) Three organizations of indigenous craftswomen have their own catalogues of artisanal products. 1.000,00 d) They have participated in 3 national fairs, one of them dedicated to present the final results of the project 4.000,00 TOTAL 100.000,00 6,100.00 ¶8. TIMETABLE AND INDICATORS ACTIVITIES / OUTCOMES/Timeline Indigenous women organizations have strengthened the family initiatives of craft production and partnership a. Fifty women leaders have received training on artisanal production chains; Month 1-3 b. Two craft shops have improved their technical and commercial management; Month 4-6 c. All three organizations (Cofan, Kichwa, and Huaorani) have received training on packaging techniques and elaboration of informational tags; Month 6-8 Train indigenous women on artisanal management and fair trade a. Fifteen women leaders have received trained on artisanal management: size, price, and orders, Month 3,6,9 b. Fifteen women leaders have been trained on participation in fairs and artisanal trade; Month 4,7,10 c. Six women leaders now know how to put fair trade in practice through an exchange of experiences, Month 9 Develop product promotion, diffusion, and marketing activities a. 500 documents of Cofan and Huaorani ethnical art have been printed for sale; Month 5 b. Cofan, Kichwa, and Huaorani crafts are commercialized under their own artisanal brands, Month 6 c. Three organizations of indigenous craftswomen have their own catalogues of artisanal products; Month 9 d. They have participated in 3 national fairs, one of them dedicated to present the final results of the project; Month 9-12 HODGES