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Suriname, South America Just north of Brazil lies a vast country with only 500,000 inhabitants. Unlike neighboring lands, Suriname has over 94% of its bio-diversity intact. This rare demography offers precious treasures of Bio-diversity for its people, the hemisphere, and world – if they can be conserved. Aside from dangerous mining and logging, economic opportunities in this virgin eco-system are few and far between. A remarkable asset this country holds is the lost cultures and traditions that sailed from West Africa with the slave trade. Since escaping from slavery over 300 years ago, the threatened Saramaccan culture, with only 20,000 members speaking its language, has survived in the remote Amazon rainforest. Insulated from influence of colonialism in Africa has allowed the Saramaccan people to maintain a great deal of cultural heritage – rights of passage, music, and complex ceremonies from their ancestral roots. However, this generation is becoming fragmented. Since independence, rapid social and economic transitions, and airplanes bring inner conflicts, sexually transmitted diseases, and a new reliance on packages staples, low in nutrition. Cut off from health services and education by difficult travel up rivers and dirt roads, migrant workers leave their families for months, even years, breaking down community bonds and traditional wisdom. Today, rising fuel costs cripple the local economy and food transport. Micro-grants for Social Entrepreneurs fostering social empowerment & economic security EW made its first micro-grant for social entrepreneurs as a as a pilot project in March 2006 in the Saramaccan village of Abenastone. The social entrepreneur EW invested in (and who inspired this initiative) is a handicapped local named Pero who had been disfigured and lost most the use of his arms when robbed working in a regional gold mine. He wanted to find a way that he and other handicapped citizens in his village would not be a burden to their families, but rather provide something of use, such as fresh food. Days after funds were entrusted to Pero to start the chicken cooperative, Suriname was hit with one of the worst natural disasters in history wiping out homes, schools and food stocks. It would have been understandable if these funds had been used for emergency relief. Yet, remarkably Pero managed despite these additional hardships. The project has succeeded- with 3 rounds of hatching's underway. Here, just a few hundred dollars fuel a village-based chicken cultivation project, creating jobs for handicapped citizens, and mitigating the negative impacts of globalization. EW is assessing more sustainable economic opportunities with local partners here including health based eco-tourism, and medicinal plant cultivation & harvesting. Learn More about EW’s Micro-grant program in PEPs toolkit. **Participants in EW economic and cultural empowerment projects engage on a voluntary basis and learn to manage their own environmentally and financially sustainable business enterprises. |
Suriname
