Sierra Viva – Building Recycling Areas

Donor: Tamarin Fondation
Local Ally: Corporación Horizontes
Beneficiaries:  19,682 individuals 
Location: Sierra Nevada, Santa Marta, Magdalena

Solid residues have become an even greater issue in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta in the last few years. However, the indigenous communities of the area, meaning the Arhuacos, Wiwa, Kogui, Kankuamo and rural farming communities, lack the knowledge or the system to deal with these accordingly and have become increasingly worried with the conservation of their territories, the preservation of water, and the well-being of future generations. 

The project sought to build recycling areas with the goal of optimizing the logistics process of storing, sorting, transporting and recycling residues collected so as to avoid the burning or disposal of these in rivers, improving the knowledge of the indigenous communities through an educational and training component led by local leaders in the native language, providing a sense of identity to the cause to guarantee the continuity of the program, and and contribute to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the Sierra Viva program. In addition, we were also able to increase the impact of the project by maximizing the educational, logistics, communications, and economic resources. 

The program consisted of two phases: Phase 1 was carried out in 2015 and resulted in the construction of 7 recyling areas in Pueblo Bello, Simunurwa, Jewrwa, Birwa, Kwanimun, Businchama and Mamarwa that benefited 12,000 individuals. Phase 2 was carried in 2016 in the villages of Nabusimake, Gamake, Zikta, Gunchukwa, Minas de Hiracal, and La Honda, benefiting 7,682 individuals.