Lead Partner: Jambi Kiwa Project
Description
Created by an association of largely indigenous women, Jamba Kiwa is a cooperative business that was set up to grow, process and market medicinal and aromatic plants.
To succeed, these women have drawn on indigenous knowledge, traditional forms of cooperative activity, and the resilience bourne out of the struggles of poverty and discrimination. They are determined to maintain and build on local assets, proceeding to secure trade partnerships in national and international markets.
The story of Jambi Kiwa is therefore about the creation of a new enterprise that holds the possibility of improving the livelihoods of hundreds of families in dozens of small rural villages throughout the mountainous region of Chimborazo. It is also a story about reclaiming and valuing traditional culture, knowledge and practices and redefining what it means to be an indigenous people in Ecuador today.
Jambi Kiwa’s history is intertwined with the nation-wide movement
for indigenous rights in Ecuador and with the work of liberation
theologians such as Monsignor Leonidas Proaño, Bishop of
Riobamba, who worked extensively with pastoral workers and community leaders such as Rosa Guamán, to support the development
of indigenous leaders in rural villages throughout the province of Chimborazo.
These efforts lay the groundwork for the emergence of community
driven initiatives like Jambi Kiwa.
“[What we have is] the belief in the power of community-based organisations; the understanding that organisation is a learning centre, a new way of education… [and] the commitment to work for the benefit of future generations”
- Rosa Guamán, Oct 14 2004
“a story about reclaiming and valuing traditional culture, knowledge and practices and redefining what it means to be an indigenous people in Ecuador today”
Resources
This summary is based on a detailed case study published
by the Coady Institute and is available on their website at
http://www.coady.stfx.ca/work/ABCD/resources.cfm