June 2018
Dear Friends of the Foundation,
Going on field visits to the countries where our Foundation supports projects is, for me, the greatest of rewards. It means discovering a region, or sometimes a country, where we operate but whose lifestyles and actual geography I am unfamiliar with – until the point in time when I find myself in the field and meet the members of the organization that brings our work to life with courage and tenacity. Up till then, this concrete project only exists on paper in the form of a file that has been extensively analyzed.
Each visit gives much pause for thought, and a fresh perspective can sometimes be the source of interesting suggestions, but a visit also stirs deep emotions. For over and above the project teams, there are those for whom our work is intended, those who are involved and must benefit from our support.
In Ecuador, which I recently visited, the women I met took my breath away: not just one, but all of them! Their living conditions are extremely difficult: inadequate contraceptive methods mean that they become mothers at a very young age, often shouldering alone the burden of providing for the family in a highly precarious context. And yet they are full of the joys of life, brimming with humor, strong, dynamic. For me, each one of them is a ‘Mother Courage’.
With the FECD team, I discovered how the guiding principle of Chakras, close to that of our Foundation, considers all aspects of life to be interconnected. This is how the Kichwa indigenous communities of the Amazon cultivate cacao (Tsatsayaku artisanal chocolate factory), design the garden at Shandia Lodge, which President Moreno himself honors with his visits, and manage the exquisite Sinchi Warmi restaurant and handicrafts shop. The Chakra is a holistic way of thinking, living and cultivating the land. Women are the cornerstone of an income-generating sustainable community tourism project.
Moving on to the Gulf of Guayaquil, I then met fishermen from the Conservation International project at El Morro, who had just received confirmation that they had been granted a concession. They shared with me their concerns about the problems of illegal fishing, violence and piracy. And there, too, the women who had set up an association radiate hope and optimism. You will discover them in this issue as I wanted you to make their acquaintance.
Jacqueline Délia Brémond
Co-Founder/Co-Chair
