Ecuador - 2009

In 2009, three BWV members carried out a project in Vilcambamba, a small town in the Andean valleys of southern Ecuador. Volunteers began their journey at Sacred Sueños, a permaculture farm 2.5 hours into the mountains from Vilcabamba. On the farm, the volunteers partook in the daily chores needed to sustain the farm and also took on their own projects, such as constructing walls from cob, building garden beds, repairing pasture fences, planning and planting new gardens. Once they had learned about permaculture practices and had put some techniques to use, BWV members returned to Vilcabamba to work in its rural neighbourhoods in collaboration with the Centro Cultural Commununitario (Cultural Community Center, or CCC). As a way to share their newly acquired knowledge about permaculture farming, and to learn about various local techniques, the volunteers visited farmers on their land and interviewed them about their labour and cultivation practices. Before leaving for Ecuador, BWV members had also created a coursepack of information about various farming techniques, which they were able to leave in Vilcabamba to share with local farmers. By showing villagers the successful work that was being done by using permaculture technique at Sacred Sueños, BWV created a link between Sacred Sueños and Vilcabamba, enabling a greater sharing of farming practices to ensure viable and sustainable growth.

In this photo (left to right): Lily Raphael and Jasmine Lam