by Monserratte Vásquez
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During July and August, in the Magdalena Alto community, located in the area surrounded the Los Cedros Protected Forest, a workshop series was developed to advance Human Rights and Rights of Nature. The course saw significant participation from the community’s youth, adults, and elderly alike.
The workshop series was proposed by Breana Sigchos-Bozques, a Master’s student from the University of California, San Diego, US; who, moved by the historic fight in defence of the Rights of Nature and of the communities, decided to volunteer at the Los Cedros Scientific Station and share her training in law with one of communities surrounding the Los Cedros Forest.
The workshops included three meetings that used a playful methodology to promote the fundamental rights guaranteed by Ecuador’s Constitution in order to later connect them with the Constitutional Court decision in favor of the Los Cedros Forest. That is, to increase the community members’ capacity to identify our Human and Nature Rights that the Constitutional Court guaranteed with its 2021 decision.
The workshop series were very enriching, so much so that topics of great importance for the community and the country could be discussed. Lastly, the still latent challenges were addressed regarding the execution of the updated Los Cedros Protected Forest Management Plan, which responds to a reparation measure that integrates both the Los Cedros Forest and the 10 communities of the Los Manduriacos Valley.
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Earlier this month in August, we had an important and fun visit by a class from the Isla Santa Isabel Educational Unit from the local community of San Miguel de Chontal, who planned an excursion to the Los Cedros Protected Forest.
From June 10 to 14, students from Pachamama School (Quito) spent the week pursuing educational projects at the Los Cedros Scientific Station. Applying this effective educational strategy with experimental and observation methods inside the forest, they built on the knowledge previously acquired in the classrooms.
On International Children’s Day, the Scientific Station visited some single-teacher schools in the Los Manduriacos Valley to deliver teaching materials, as an educational contribution to the area. We shared a lovely day with the children, their teachers and their mothers and fathers, accompanied by a puppet show by the Performing Arts Company “El Revuelque Títeres”.
The passing of the ones we love hurts. And it especially hurts when those beings dedicated their lives to making this world more beautiful.
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