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This project is part of the Covid-19 mitigation effort ×

Costa Rica

COVID-19 Response for the self-protection of Indigenous peoples in the Talamanca Rainforest

By Love For Life E.v.

Registered Charity

Executive Summary

Indigenous peoples are extremely vulnerable to pandemics due to persistent inequalities, discrimination, and their geographic isolation. COVID-19 represents an existential threat to their physical and cultural survival. 
Sources of food in Indigenous territories are already diminishing due to the impact of climate change and other sources of income are highly limited or non-existent. Therefore, these sustainable emergency actions aim to prevent food shortages or difficult access to food due to the loss of markets for Indigenous products and the loss of sources of income due to COVID-19 restrictions.
 
Emergency funds are only effective when part of long-term strategy to prevent and alleviate the negative impact of the pandemic and restrictions, your support promotes sustainable food sovereinty and health.

Impact Indicators

People: Social Impact

Number of Lives Impacted:

10,000

Gender:

Female, Male

Age:

0-3, 4-11, 12-17, 18-25, 26-40, 41-60, 60+

Employment Status:

Unemployed

Accessibility:

Disabled, Non-Disabled

Location:

Rural, Remote

Planet: Environmental Impact

Land:

Rural

Water:

Inland

Air:

Rural

Topic and Activity Grid

Topics

	Health & Medical	Food and Hunger	Elderly	Women Empowerment
Advocacy
Catalysing
Convening
Goods Provision
Infrastructure Provision
Services Provision
Research & Development
Raising Awareness
Training

Geography

Country:

Costa Rica

Project Outcome Indicators

Short Term:

— Access to Food, Medicines & Hygiene

2000 families have access to food, medicines and hygiene products.

Long Term:

— Long-term Food Security

80% of the project families secure their access to food by establishing household / community gardens, product exchange fairs

Activities:

Your donation will support the following immediate actions:
Radio alerts in Indigenous languages with information on prevention & response;
Information material on public health in the local language;
Implementation of travel restrictions into Indigenous territories;
Food, hygiene and basic necessity kits for families;
Medical assistance and supplies to hard-to-reach Indigenous communities.
Your contribution will also support sustainable action towards food security and health:
Promotion of the Indigenous Cabécar women to strengthen their role and participation in Covid-response activities; 
Securing access to seeds as part of a larger strategy on food sovereignty based on the Indigenous system of cultural production;
Strengthening of Inidgenous women's food security initiatives to facilitate the exchange of food and agricultural produces among families and Indigenous territories;
Creation of alternative livelihoods for processing Indigenous cultural and agricultural production;
Strengthening knowledge and production of Indigenous traditional medicine;
Ongoing pressure and advocacy on government and national institutions to include Indigenous communities in official communications, resource allocation, and for the promotion, strengthening and safeguarding of their local and traditional production.

Partnership

Company:

ADITICA

Website:
Company:

Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques

Website:

www.alianzamesoamericana.org

Updates

UPDATE #1 | 3 years ago

Indigenous Women Partner Organisation Wins UNDP Equator Prize 2021

We are deeply grateful and joyful to announce that our local partner, Kabata Könana, the Indigenous Women Association serving the self-empowerment of Cabécar women in Costa Rica’s Talamanca Forest won the prestigious UNDP Equator Prize 2021.

The Equator Prize, organized by the Equator Initiative within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recognizes the work of local and indigenous organizations from across the world showcasing innovative, nature-based solutions for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change.

The Women’s Association Kábata Könana, meaning “Defenders of the Mountains”, promote the use of traditional practices and knowledge for food security and sovereignty, medicinal purposes, and strengthens women’s leadership and Indigenous rights while protecting their forest and culture.

Since the crisis due to Covid-19 measures hit Costa Rica in March 2020, our local partners and Indigenous leaders from the Talamanca rainforest worked tirelessly to implement a prevention and recovery plan based on their ancestral culture and traditional food production system.

It is within the framework of LOVE FOR LIFE’s women empowerment program that the “Estanco Indígena de Trueque Virtual” was co-created by our Indigenous partners Kábata Könana, the Association for the Integral Development of the Talamanca Cabécar territory (ADITICA), and the Indigenous Bribri and Cabecar network (RIBCA).

In the face of the ongoing health and socio-economic crisis, the women quickly established a virtual market based on communication technology and social media to trade and share food during the closure of regular markets. Indigenous women, trained as community coordinators, locally known as “weavers of knowledge”, have led the initiative with over 200 families of 15 communities. These families actively participate in the traditional production system for food sovereignty, sustainable change, and effective crisis response.

With your support, we can continue to move not just money, but power, to Indigenous grassroots movements, organizations, and leaders.

Project Budget: