The Equilibrium Fund
| The Equilibrium Fund PO Box 2371 Crested Butte, CO 81224 |
El Salvador- News from the Field
El Salvador Maya Nut Program Facts | |||||||||
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In El Salvador, the Maya Nut is called Ojushte
Salvadorans have one of the highest rates of retention of traditional knowledge about Ojushte, possibly due to the frequent and severe droughts that affect the country and the severity of their civil war. People consume Ojushte in times of drought and war, and apparently El Salvador has suffered more of both than any of the other countries where we work. Incredibly, Ojushte can be purchased in the street markets near Jiquillisco, El Salvador during Christmas week. It is sold boiled and salted, and is an exquisite and rare treat. Jiquillisco is one of the last bastions of healthy Maya Nut forests (Chaguantique National Park and Normandia National Park). These small (100acres each) forests support the last population of Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) in El Salvador, which feeds almost exclusively on Maya Nut seeds, leaves and buds. Ojushte is threatened with extinction in El Salvador. Very few populations of trees exist. Almost all of the remaining trees are in protected areas where we have prioritized our work. These areas include: -Plan de Amayo National Park -Apaneca-Llamatepec Biosphere Reserve -Los Farallones National Park -Colima National Park -La Magdalena national Park -Rio Sapo National Park -El Balsamar National Park -La Joya National Park -El Imposible National Park | |||||||||
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Minimal investment in El Salvador produces major impacts in 2008 | |||||||||
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The Equilibrium Fund budget for El Salvador was only $21,000 in 2008
By leveraging what we had to accrue other partners, Nidia Lara, Program Director and her team managed to conduct Maya Nut workshops in 34 communities, training a total of 674 women and men about the Maya Nut, impacting almost 3000 direct and indirect beneficiaries. At least 10,000 new trees were planted. Municipalities impacted in 2008 include: Sonsonate: Caluco, Izalco, Santa Isabel Ishuatan , Cuisnahuat, San Salvador: Apopa, Ciudad Delgado, Panchimalco, El Paisnal. Cuscatlán: Suchitoto y San Pedro Perulapán Santa Ana: Chalchuapa Ahuachapan:Cara Sucia, San Francisco Menéndez, Ahuachapan San Vicente Tecoluca Chalatenango: San Francisco Morazán Morazán: Arambala, Torola, Guacotecti, Guatajiagua San Miguel: Moncagua y Quelepa Other educational activities (presentations, school lunch programs, conferences and Maya Nut sampling fairs) permitted us to reach at least 1500 additional Salvadorans with our Maya Nut message! | |||||||||
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Maya Nut at the XII Mesoamerican Congress of Biodiversity, 2008 | |||||||||
Nidia Lara, Program Director for El Salvador and Anaite Lopez, Program Director for Guatemala presented the Maya Nut program at this conference in San Salvador in November 2008.
We also had the opportunity to promote Maya Nut products from Guatemalan and Salvadoran producers. Many biologists, ecologists and scientists were surprised to learn about the Maya Nut, its nutrition and how tasty it is. Many thanks are due to the Initiative for the Americas Fund, Fundacion AGAPE, the Sonoma County Women's Giving Circle, Mrs. Barbara Sachs and the Ford Foundation for making this possible | |||||||||
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Maya Nut stand at XII Congress in San Salvador attracted many visitors | |||||||||
Many influential visitors visited the Maya Nut stand at the XII Congress on Biodiversity in San Salvador in November, 2008.
Pictured here (with Nidia Lara, El Salvador Program Director) is Dr. Oscar Murga, Director of Environmental Programs for Project CAMBIO and one of the original founders of the Maya Nut Program | |||||||||
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The Maya Nut Program, El Salvador, signs contract with Kimberly-Clark for reforestation with Maya Nut trees to offset carbon and deforestation | |||||||||
Nidia Lara, El Salvador Program Director, announces the formal partnership between Kimberly-Clark, The Equilibrium Fund, and Fundacion Agape. This is the first partnership of this type in El Salvador and we are proud to partner with these illustrious companies and foundations.
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Maya Nut wins the Prize of Excellence, 2007 from the Salvadoran Ministry of the Environment | |||||||||
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Minister of the Environment plants a Maya Nut tree in front of the Ministry of the Environment, San Salvado | |||||||||
As a demonstration of their ongoing commitment to helping us "grow" the Maya Nut Program in El Salvador, the Minister of the Environment plated a Maya Nut tree in front of his offices in San Salvador
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Maya Nut Program joins Green Network in El Salvador | |||||||||
Additional Partners in El Salvador include:
~Ministry of the Environment (MARN), Salvadoran Institute for Women, University of El Salvador, Salvadoran Social Investment Fund, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Mayors of Caluco, El Paisnal, Suchitoto, Armenia, National School of Agriculture FISCAL PARTNERS INCLUDE: ~Initiative for the Americas Fund (FIAES), Small Grants Program of the United Nations, Global Environment Facility, FAO, Catholic Relief Service, World Vision, Plan International, Kimberly Clark Private Universities: University of Jose Matias Delgado, Faculty of Applied Arts, Industrial Engineering and Food Science | |||||||||
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Maya Nut at Expoambiente 2007 in San Salvador | |||||||||
The Association of Maya Nut Producers of Nicaragua were invited to join the El Salvadoran team at their stand at the ExpoAmbiente 2007 in San Salvador.
The event was an excellent opportunity for these neighboring women´s groups to meet and plan strategies for regional collaboration for 2008. We expect that El Salvador will be a major market for the Nicaraguan Maya Nut products. | |||||||||
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Maya Nut program expands to Cuba in 2007 | |||||||||
Nidia Lara, Maya Nut Program director for El Salvador was invited to the EIDAR Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Conference in La Habana Cuba to present the Maya Nut Program as a climate-change-resistant food production system
Her presentation was very well received and we have since been informed that several Cuban organizations are working to process Maya Nut independently | |||||||||
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Partners in El Salvador | |||||||||
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Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources
Salvadoran Institute for Women (ISDEMU) University of El Salvador Instituciones Públicas : Ministerio del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN), Instituto Salvadoreño de La Mujer (ISDEMU), Universidad de El Salvador (UES) facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas y Escuela de Biología, Fondo de inversión Social (FISDL), Ministerio de Agricultura (CENTA).Ministerio de Salud (Promotores de Salud comunitarios, Unidades de Salud , Alcaldías de Caluco, El Paisnal, Suchitoto y Alcaldía de Armenia, Centros Escolares de Caluco y San Salvador. Escuela Nacional de Agricultura, Instituciones de financiamiento ambiental: Fondo de Iniciativa para la Americas (FIAES), Programa Pequeñas Donaciones (PPD) Universidades Privadas: Universidad José Matías Delgado, Facultad de Artes Aplicadas, Ingeniería Industrial e Ingeniería en Alimentos ? Comanejadoras de ANP : ASACMA, FUMPROCOOP,GAIA, CATIE, FUNDESA, ASAPROSAR, ALFALIT, ASISTEDCO, CENCITA, CHAGUANTIQUE, FUNDAARRECIFE, ? Organismos internacionales : proyecto FAO /CENTA, Catholic Realife Service CRS, Mejor Manejo de Cuencas Criticas, Visión Mundial, Plan Internacional, ? ONGs y Organizaciones de Servicio : Asociación de Muchachas Guías de El Salvador, Arzobispado de El Salvador.CALMA- ? Cooperativas y Comunidades de las zonas de amortiguamiento ? Parroquias de Pequín, Caluco, Moncagua ? Empresa Privada Energía Solar. Kimberly Clark ? Medios de Comunicación emisoras de radio : YSUCA, Radio Sonora, Radio Norteña, canal 8 de televisión AGAPE. | |||||||||
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El Salvadoran exchange trip to Guatemala | |||||||||
Financed by the Sonoma County Women's Giving Circle, a group of interested Salvadorans travelled to Guatemala in 2006 to learn about the Maya Nut program. This trip was the springboard which created the Salvadoran Maya Nut Program which has since won several awards in El Salvador and has influenced over 30 Salvadoran organizations to implement Maya Nut activities as part of their conservation programs.
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