Hello All,

In honor of the International Day of the Woman (March
8th), I would like to tell you all about a wonderful
community project run by the women of the Colibris
Artesan Cooperative in the rural village of Marianitas
in the Ecuadorian Chocó bioregion.

The Colibris have been producing hand-made jewelry and
crafts from sustainably-harvested natural materials
like bamboo and tagua (vegetable ivory) for a number
of years. In 2006 the women began a
volunteer/homestay program to support their mission of
empowering locals and helping them to earn a
sustainable income while conserving their natural
resources.

The Colibris women and their families open their homes
to visitors who are able to participate in village
life and help with crafts and other interesting
community projects, such as organic gardening,
reforesting and English and environmental education.
On weekends volunteers enjoy natural adventures in the
highly diverse Chocó Cloud Forest region of
northwestern Ecuador. Activities include hiking in
nearby reserves, bird- and nature-watching, and
swimming in local river pools.

The program has been a great hit so far - recent
visitor comments have been enthusiastic:

¨ The Colibris (were) incredibly warm and sweet…by
the time I left I felt like we were all quite sad to
say goodbye to each other.¨

¨Marianitas (is) a charming little pueblo-lively and
friendly and in a beautiful setting.¨

¨The accomodation at Cecilia's was excellent …the food
was also excellent, well prepared and diverse (and)
there was LOADS of it!¨

Information on the Colibris and their volunteer
program can be seen on their website:

http://www.colibrisecuador.org

¡Gracias por su atención!

Mary Finn
Volunteer Coordinator, Colibris Women’s Cooperative