Ecotrackers documental sobre su trabajo con las nacionalidad de los Cayambis y Otavalos

 

https://youtu.be/lZZj_huflXA

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miércoles 27 de diciembre de 2006

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Ecotrackers en la Reserva Cayambe Coca: La Chimba

Este es un blog para contar el trabajo de los voluntarios de Ecotrackers en la Reserva Cayambe Coca. La Chimba es nuestra primera comunidad en la zona y es una comunidad situada en el norte de los Andes del Ecuador, en esta reserva en la que hay páramos y el nevado Cayambe 5780 msnm y las cultuas indigenas de los Cayambis, Caranquis, Quichuas y Alamas

http://lachmba.blogspot.com/

About Me

Name:Ecotrackers

Location:Ecuador

View my complete profile

Previous Posts

• Graham Montague an intelligent tourist
• Alex Kantona and Transito Amaguaña in 2005-12-15
• proyecto del centro de capacitación en Ecoturismo Comunitario
• In La Chimba to discuss community nutrition and new development ideas
• The volunteer work of Graham Montague
• Dan Davis social studies in la Chimba
• DESCRIPTION OF LA CHIMBA
• La Chimba

Archives

• November 2005
• November 2006
• December 2006

Rafael Alvarez un voluntario español para ayudar y entender el desarrollo en La Chimba

Hoja de contacto comunitario – Fundación Ecotrackers E.mail: .ecotrackers@gmail.com

COMUNIDAD	La Chimba VOLUNTARIOS No. 2 / 2007
Director Local	Vinico Quilo
telefono	telf. 091358342
Dirección	Tomar un bus en Otavalo y llegar al Parque Central de Cayambe y preguntar por la estacion de buses a la Chimba que salen cada hora
Nombre del voluntario	Rafael Alvarez País Espala
Número de contrato	Edad 29 Estudios Administración
Nivel de español	Excelenete cumpleaños 27 de Oct
E.mail del voluntario	raespejo@hotmail.com
Pago en Ecotrackers	Por Registración: Por No. de días:5=10 Total: 10
Fecha del trabajo	4 Abril al 27 de Abril 2007
PLAN DE ACTIVIDADES Y RESULTADOS ESPERADOS	ANTECEDENTES: Desde desde el año 2003 Ecotrackers trabaja con Vinicio Quilo para desarrollar el trabajo de la organización Condor Huasi. Actualmente Vinicio es un dirigente de la comunidad y además está trabjando con otras comunidades. En la comuidad esta reacondicionando mediante mingas (trabajos colectivos) la casa de Hacienda del que fue presidente del Ecuador Galo Plaza, para hacer un lugar de atención a turistas y un centro de entrenamiento en ecoturismo comunitario. Este entrenamiento incluye la capacitacion de los miembros de Condor Huasi en otros lugares de trabajo de Ecotrackers en una relación reciproca con los directores y miembros de otras comunidades que les van a raecibir ACTIVIDAD1.- Dar clases de ingles a los niños de deportes e ingles ACTIVIDAD 2.- Explorar el páramo, las huertas indigenas y claborar e la reparación de la casa de hacienda. ACTIVIDAD3.- Recopilar formación sobre lo que fue el desarrollo en la zona RESULTADOS Evaluación de los procesos de desarrollo, las alternativas ante las amenazas
Lugar de publicación	http://lachimba.blogspot.com/
Pago a la comunidad	Valor por comida, acomodación y guía: $8x 5 días= $45
Persona que recibe el $	Nombre: Vinicio Quito firma:
CONTACTOS PRELIMINARES	31 de Marzo 2007
PRECAUCIONES	Observaciones: ropa para el frío
En emergencia	Telfs:085561622/ 02-2550208/02-2544074 (night)/098741081(JC)

Descripciones y fotos de la Chimba Desscripcions and photos of La Chimba

La Chimba also named Yacuchimba is a comunity which

spreads at about 3100 m on the north pastures of

the Nevado Cayambe, the third ecuadorian summit.

(5790m). About 360 families live there. It is the last

place before the national park of Cayambe-coca. This

reserve is known for is high biodiversity with a large

scale of altitude, from the tropical forests to the eternal

snows of the Nevado. La Chimba is a great place to

discover the rural side of Ecuador. You can have a walk

to reach the Laguna San Marcos, you can help to dairy

cows, or you can just sit down and talk with people.

At 3300m high

La Chimba es también llamada Yacuchimba. Es una comunidad que

Se extiende aproximadamente a 3100 m del páramo ubicado al norte del Nevado Cayambe, la tercera cumbre más alta del Ecuador. (5790msnm) Cerca de 360 familias viven allí, es la última población antes de llegar al parque nacional de la Cayambe-Coca. Se sabe que la reserva para es de una alta biodiversidad, debida a la fuerte variación

de la altitud; de los bosques tropicales a las eternas

nieves del Nevado. La Chimba es un sitio maravilloso para descubrir el lado rural de Ecuador. Usted podría hacer una caminata

y alcanzar el Laguna San Marcos, o también ayudar a ordeñar a

las vacas, o podría sentarse en la comunidad y hablar con la gente.

A los 3300m de altitud.

Los Chimbaños take their origin from

the Kayambi etnic which spread in the

Cayambe district. The country use to

be occupied by the conquistadors who

treated them as slaves. The Chimbaños own their territory

since 1971. Each family farms very small plots (about 6,5

ha). Bovine milk production is today the main activity of

the community. They also grow vegetal crop and cheep

flocks for meat. In order to diversify the resssources,

young members created Condor Huasi. Since 2003,

this association permit to you to enter in the life of the

community and to live as an habitant. Condor Huasi also

have a folkloric group which displays traditional dances

and musics on celebrates and on tours.

Los Chimbaños se originan de

el Kayambi etnia que se separó en

Departamento de Cayambe. Debido a la conveniencia de los conquistadores que ocuparon país, mientras trataban a los indígenas como menos que esclavos. Los Chimbaños son dueños de su territorio

desde 1971. Cada familia cultiva en parcelas muy pequeñas (cerca de 6.5

ha). La producción de leche de vacas es hoy la actividad principal de

la comunidad. También practican la agricultura y pian

ocks de la Florida para la carne. Para diversificar los recursos,

los miembros jóvenes crearon el Condor Huasi. Desde 2003,

con el permiso de la asociación usted puede conocer la vida de la

comunidad y vivir como un nativo. Condor Huasi también

tiene un grupo folklórico que exhibe danzas tradicionales

y tocan su música en celebraciones y viajes.

COMMUNITY BASED ECOTOURISM

COMUNIDAD BASADA EN EL ECOTOURISMO

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN THE ANDIN LANDSCAPE

After two weeks

teaching english in

La Chimba, it was

the people, with their

generosity, kindness

and deep connection

to their culture that I

will remember best.

-Nick.f

USA

La EXTRAORDINARIA EXPERIENCIA EN EL PAISAJE ANDINO

Después de dos semanas de enseñar inglés en La Chimba,

serán las personas, con su generosidad, su bondad y su conexión profunda a su cultura lo que recordaré mejor.

-Nick.F

EEUU

Visiting La Chimba means a

real help and a cultural trade.

By sharing moments with

indeginous people, you will

better understand their way

of life and in the same time

contribute to their global

development (education,

ressources managment, life

conditions and cultural indentity)

Visitar La Chimba significa una verdadera ayuda y un comercio cultural. Compartiendo momentos con personas

indígenas, usted entenderá mejor su estilo de vida y en al mismo tiempo contribuirá a su desarrollo integral

(la educación, administración de recursos, las condiciones de la vida e identidad cultural)

Graham Montague an intelligent tourist

Written by Graham Montague
I went with another volunteer and we first caught a bus to Cayambe which is about an hour and a half by bus from Quito. The journey from Cayambe to La Chimba takes an hour by bus along a rough road that is basically a dirt track in places and paved with cobble stones in others. I am told that the buses have to have their suspensions changed every six months! The bus we caught from Cayambe was packed, with a lot of people standing. On the way we passed many small communities along the way and eventually arrived in La Chimba.

We arrived around midday on a Saturday. When we arrived there was a crowd of people laying turf on what is the village football pitch. Apparently it had been a dirt pitch with a large slope and they have now levelled it and are making it into a grass pitch, a task that will take a few months to complete. There seems to be a regular morning work party, many of whom are women. The other volunteer had bought a football on the way and we were soon playing in the street with a couple of children who greeted us enthusiastically. In fact, one of them, Morella (?), is absolutely charming. She is nine years old but has an engaging manner way beyond her years. Perhaps she should be given the job of welcoming visitors to the village.

La Chimba is at an altitude of about 8,000ft(?) and is set in a long broad valley surrounded by mountains. It is a community of about 400 families. The village has one long street with several short side streets off it. In some ways it is a bit like a Wild West town, especially when one of the local caballeros rides along it. Many people seem to have horses and they all look well cared for. The quite elaborate tack is very impressive, especially the decorative traces and the stirrups with built in clogs - I'm not a horseman, so this is not very technical!

The community revolves around dairy production with many people milking befoer dawn and then again at 4.00pm in the afternoon. Because of the early start, people seem to go to bed early.
The cows are often some way from where people live and people either walk to their fields or catch the bus. There are no stalls to milk the cows in, they are milked out in the open with their legs tied together to encourage them to keep still. There is an informal network of lifts for collecting people with their milk and taking them with their containers back to the communal dairy centre. The churns can be heavy but many of the milkers are women of considerable age. They scoop the churns up in a shawl and carry them on their backs. I made hard work of carrying one churn a short distance and over a somewhat rickety wooden bridge. I had a go at milking but managed to spook the cow who trotted off before being made to settled down again. The climate is such that the growing season is all year round. They don't have to cut and store food for animals.

All around the village are patches of rough land where an assortment of animals, including chickens, pigs and sheep, can be found grazing. Sometimes they are tethered, sometimes hobbled (feet tied together with a short rope), and sometimes just loose. Unfortunately, there is a lot of rubbish lying around and this somewhat spoils the bucolic setting. Whilst the village itself can be dry and dusty, the surrounding fields and mountains present a vast patchwork of green, partly cultivated land and partly natural vegetation.

Many of the older women wear traditional clothes with bright skirts and shawls, several layers of bright beads round their necks and a sort of 'pork pie' hat. They often seem to wear quite flimsy shoes but the standard footwear is wellingtons.

While I was at La Chimba I went on two outings. The first was to a hot spring high up in the mountains. A small group of us was taken in a pick-up to a point from where we walked up and down through long grass until we came to the thermal pool. There is a small hut for changing in if you want a little privacy. I chose to change, hopping from foot to foot, on the rocks by the pool. It was a strange but exhilarating experience stripping off and lying in the warm water looking out over a green valley towards mountains beyond.

The second outing was to San Marco lake, again a pick-up ride into the mountains. There is a feeling of such space and openness, winding your way upwards with mountains all around. That morning was very clear and all along the way we could see the snow capped Nevada Cayambe outlined against the clear blue sky. It is a very hypnotic presence and it keeps drawing your eyes back to it. The San Marco lake itself is not spectacular but its setting is. On this outing we had a ride across a river in a metal cradle on a pulley, which gave us a great feeling of adventure.

I had been learning Spanish for only a few weeks and so my language skills were quite limited. I was lucky that there were other volunteers who spoke better Spanish. None of the community seemed to speak any English which is likely to be a bit of a barrier to communicating with visitors. It was discussed that I might start to teach the guides some English but this did not happen - only partly because I was not feeling as well as I would have liked and left La Chimba earlier than planned. Motivation to learn some English might need to be encouraged and a programme agreed with the community.

The house where I stayed was modest, which is to be expected, but it was also very dirty and, in my opinion, not acceptable to paying visitors. Another volunteer stayed in what seemed to be a simple but better looked after home. I think it it is important for the community to ensure that host homes are of a minimum standard and suitable for visitors.

The community is wanting to attract visitors for short stays. People in the community are friendly and happy to involve you in their lives. Some are interested to ask questions about where you come from. Apart from asking you about your family, one common question is how much your currency is worth!

La Chimba is well worth a visit to see how its people go about their modest everyday lives and for you to enjoy and appreciate its beautiful setting.

Alex Kantona and Transito Amaguaña in 2005-12-15

I spent 5 days in La Chimba, living with a local family in the community. My time spent with them was absolutely incredible. I accompanied them to their farms every day and helped milk the cows, upon which their livelihood is based. Unlike the families in the jungle, they opened up to me and shared stories of their pueblo and their family. La Chimba has a long history of indigenous exploitation and abuse: my host parents were basically slaves for more than a decade. I was able to learn more about the land and people of La Chimba in 5 days than I learned about the jungle in the weeks I was there.

In addition to living with my host family, I was able to conduct interviews and attend a meeting of an all-women indigenous association, named after Tránsito Amaguaña. They meet 2 times a month to discuss community nutrition and new development ideas.

I had the privilege of meeting Tránsito Amaguaña and discussing her experiences and travels. Mama Tránsito, as the people in La Chimba lovingly call her, has fought for indigenous human rights for all of her life. She has even traveled to Cuba and the former Soviet Union, and was imprisoned after returning from the SU on the basis of gun trafficking. She is now 97 years old, and lives in a quaint 2-bedroom house overlooking farms and mountains. She is quite a fascinating woman, and everyone in La Chimba respects and appreciates her efforts. Without her determination, the people in La Chimba would not own the land that is currently theirs today.

proyecto del centro de capacitación en Ecoturismo Comunitario

PROYECTO DE DESARROLLO DEL CENTRO DE CAPACITACION EN TURISMO COMUNITARIO DE LA CHIMBA

ANTECEDENTES:

Desde el año 2003 Ecotrackers trabaja con la Chimba, en este proceso se llegó a consolidar la organización de turismo Condor Huasy y nuestro director local Vinicio Quilo, llegó a ser el dirigente de toda la comunidad.

Desde fines del 2004 el número de voluntarios aumentó por el trabajo de Andy Kirby que consolidó relaciones con proveedores internacionales de voluntarios como nuestro director de proyectos, pero a raíz de la crisis, en que los voluntarios extranjeros de largo plazo en Quito, restaron funciones a todos los fundadores y cuerpo directivo de Ecotrackers y concluyó con la salida de los extranjeros de administración de Ecotrackers, se puso difícil el trabajo con la Chimba

La Crisis generada por Andy Kirby , David de la Houseay y Vinicio Haro en Ecotrackers nos llevó a pensar que trabajar con la Chimba sería un problema, pues esta comunidad había recibido muchos voluntarios enviados por nuestro antiguo director de proyectos, quien además hasta participó en dos fiestas y se llevó la relación con los proveedores internacionales de voluntarios y gurpos de extranjeros. Pensábamos que él les seguía enviando voluntarios, cosa que por la crisis económica que esta serparción nos produjo, nosotros no lo podíamos hacer por el momento.

Lo curioso fue que la comunidad vino a visitarnos. Les pregunté su posición respecto a la relación con Ecotrackers, sabiendo que nuestro ex director de proyectos, había hecho otra fundación copiando todo de nosotros y que considerábamos que había habido un robo de propiedad intelectual, a lo que nos contestaron que estaban con Ecotrackers

Es indudable tenemos un lado flaco y es que si no enviamos suficientes voluntarios ellos se irán con el mejor postor, pues tienen que resolver problemas económicos que los presiona.

LA PROPOSICION

Para continuar les propuese que el turismo comunitario como estaba planteado era una forma de humillación, en la que lo mejor de nosotros era para cualquiera de los extranjeros, pero lo mejor de ellos no era para cualquiera de nosotros. Nuestros voluntarios sólo habías servido en estos últimos tiempos para preparar a la comunidad para ser servidores mal pagados, que ha sido nuestra triste historia por 500 años.

Se hacía necesario cambiar, pensar que lo que teníamos no era sólo para extranjeros, que debía ser también para ecuatorianos, pero sobre todo para otros indígenas como ellos, que estuvieran interesados. El turismo comunitario que ahora tenemos y es aceptado por el Ministerio de Turismo, es aquel en que las comunidades desarrollaban una infraestructura y una serie de servicios que hacen felices a otros, a costa de la propia felicidad y por dinero. Un turismo en que el visitante siempre tiene la razón a pesar de que no sea correcto, sabio, honesto lo que pidan y sobre todo sea un buen negocio para los intermediarios que nos traen voluntarios o turistas.

El turismo inteligente por el contrario ofrecía la posibilidad de entender la naturaleza, a nuestra gente, a las culturas, la agricultura, la medicina tradicional etc, a personas con mas talento y capacidad de adaptación, que podían contribuir con uno pocos dólares mas sus estudios y trabajo, con la premisa, de que ellos deberán llegar solos y sin intermediarios. Algo todavía muy difícil pero que se irá dando en la medida que el internet se afianse como un medio para evitar los intermediarios en todas las transacciones.

Para esto había que además hacer un centro de estudios donde los profesores fueran la mejor gente de ustedes mismos. Estos profesores enseñarían a indígenas, mestizos ecuatoriano y extranjeros las artesanías, las artes, la comida tradicional, la guianza en el páramo, la valoración de la historia, los procesos organizativos. Para esto no necesitamos gente de afuera, se trata de escoger a los mejores de los nuestros y darles las condiones para que puedan transmitir sus conocimientos y experiencias, cuidándonos siempre de que nuestra información les sirva a los visitantaes para hacer un gran negocio, o para mantenernos en las condiciones de explotación que ahora vivimos.

Este instituto sería el verdadero ingreso para la comunidad en lugar del hotel que se estaba pensando hacer en la vieja casa de la hacienda, hacer aulas talleres . Sin duda, era posible hacer también una residencia para los estudiantes y un restaurante que servirían como lugares de práctica.

LA REACCIONES

La idea fue consultada a la comunidad que se mostró interesada, pues esto habría esperanzas para todos, el turismo hasta el momento era beneficioso para unos pocos. La segunda reunión fue para tratar como se podía legalizar el centro de capacitación.

Les propuse que Ecotrackers podía reconocer un certificado a los estudiantes que cumplieran 120 horas en cada uno de los talleres que hiciéramos. Este título estaría avalizado por el ministerio de Educación, como un mecanismo para empezar.

Una segunda opcion es que el CODEMPE o la Dirección Provincial de Educación Bilingüe les diera el reconocimiento al centro de Capacitación.

LOS RECUROS DE LA COMUNIDAD

La comunidad construyó con la ayuda del Ministerio del Ambiente una casa para centro de información y restaurante a la entrada de la Reserva Cayambe Coca que no ha sido bien usada

La comunidad cuenta ahora con la casa de Hacienda en la que se están haciendo las adecuaciones para un hotel restaurante.

Nuestra recomendación es que sea solo para un restaurante, y para un centro de interpretación del ecosistema Cayambe-Coca y capacitación en ecoturismo comunitario indígena.

En la comunidad hay una organización de mujeres que ha recibido ayuda del PNUD de las Naciones Unidas en su programa de pequeñas donaciones que ya fabrica mermeladas y otros productos.

También tiene una organización de agricultores que ha recibido dinero por medio de una fundación para desarrollar el riego.

Cuenta con músicos y danzantes.

Tiene buenas cocineras de comida tradicional

Ha formado sus guías locales que incluso ya tienen reconocimiento del Ministerio de Turismo.

No tiene un buen Chaman

No hablan el Quechua pero cuentan con un profesor de quechua.

Tiene personas con experiencia en la preparación, presentación y negociación de proyectos.

Tienen personas familiarizadas con la preparación de fiestas y eventos populares

Cuentan con caballos.-

No cuentan con buenas bicicletas.

LO QUE EL PUEBLO NECESITA

Terminar la reconstrucción de la casa de Hacienda

Desarrollar un programa de estudios.

Registrar el programa de estudios para su aprobación por el Ministerio de Educación

o el Codempe

Reforestar sus calles y construir jardines.

Construir parques y lugares llamativos en las montañas próximas

Destacar el lugar donde se encuentra una litografía y usar ese lugar para un museo de Sito.

Terminar su centro de información de su memoria histórica y biológica en el puesto de ingreso a la Reserva.

Hacer una carpeta con los mejores lugares para aflojamientos doméstico y camping.

Publicar el Tríptico y hacer pósteres con los materiales producidos por los voluntarios de Ecotrackers

Hacer su página Web

Hacer un calendario de experiencias en trabajo agrícolas

Hacer su calendario de fiestas y eventos culturales

Propuesta inicial presentada a la dirigecia de la comunidad por

Maximiliano Moreno
Director de proyectos de Ecotrackers

In La Chimba to discuss community nutrition and new development ideas

Written by Alex Katona

I spent 5 days in La Chimba, living with a local family in the community. My time spent with them was absolutely incredible. I accompanied them to their farms every day and helped milk the cows, upon which their livelihood is based. Unlike the families in the jungle, they opened up to me and shared stories of their pueblo and their family. La Chimba has a long history of indigenous exploitation and abuse: my host parents were basically slaves for more than a decade. I was able to learn more about the land and people of La Chimba in 5 days than I learned about the jungle in the weeks I was there.

In addition to living with my host family, I was able to conduct interviews and attend a meeting of an all-women indigenous association, named after Tránsito Amaguaña. They meet 2 times a month to discuss community nutrition and new development ideas.

I had the privilege of meeting Tránsito Amaguaña and discussing her experiences and travels. Mama Tránsito, as the people in La Chimba lovingly call her, has fought for indigenous human rights for all of her life. She has even traveled to Cuba and the former Soviet Union, and was imprisoned after returning from the SU on the basis of gun trafficking. She is now 97 years old, and lives in a quaint 2-bedroom house overlooking farms and mountains. She is quite a fascinating woman, and everyone in La Chimba respects and appreciates her efforts. Without her determination, the people in La Chimba would not own the land that is currently theirs today.

The volunteer work of Graham Montague

Written by Graham Montague

I went with another volunteer and we first caught a bus to Cayambe which is about an hour and a half by bus from Quito. The journey from Cayambe to La Chimba takes an hour by bus along a rough road that is basically a dirt track in places and paved with cobble stones in others. I am told that the buses have to have their suspensions changed every six months! The bus we caught from Cayambe was packed, with a lot of people standing. On the way we passed many small communities along the way and eventually arrived in La Chimba. We arrived around midday on a Saturday. When we arrived there was a crowd of people laying turf on what is the village football pitch. Apparently it had been a dirt pitch with a large slope and they have now levelled it and are making it into a grass pitch, a task that will take a few months to complete. There seems to be a regular morning work party, many of whom are women. The other volunteer had bought a football on the way and we were soon playing in the street with a couple of children who greeted us enthusiastically. In fact, one of them, Morella (?), is absolutely charming. She is nine years old but has an engaging manner way beyond her years. Perhaps she should be given the job of welcoming visitors to the village. La Chimba is at an altitude of about 8,000ft(?) and is set in a long broad valley surrounded by mountains. It is a community of about 400 families. The village has one long street with several short side streets off it. In some ways it is a bit like a Wild West town, especially when one of the local caballeros rides along it. Many people seem to have horses and they all look well cared for. The quite elaborate tack is very impressive, especially the decorative traces and the stirrups with built in clogs - I'm not a horseman, so this is not very technical! The community revolves around dairy production with many people milking befoer dawn and then again at 4.00pm in the afternoon. Because of the early start, people seem to go to bed early. The cows are often some way from where people live and people either walk to their fields or catch the bus. There are no stalls to milk the cows in, they are milked out in the open with their legs tied together to encourage them to keep still. There is an informal network of lifts for collecting people with their milk and taking them with their containers back to the communal dairy centre. The churns can be heavy but many of the milkers are women of considerable age. They scoop the churns up in a shawl and carry them on their backs. I made hard work of carrying one churn a short distance and over a somewhat rickety wooden bridge. I had a go at milking but managed to spook the cow who trotted off before being made to settled down again. The climate is such that the growing season is all year round. They don't have to cut and store food for animals. All around the village are patches of rough land where an assortment of animals, including chickens, pigs and sheep, can be found grazing. Sometimes they are tethered, sometimes hobbled (feet tied together with a short rope), and sometimes just loose. Unfortunately, there is a lot of rubbish lying around and this somewhat spoils the bucolic setting. Whilst the village itself can be dry and dusty, the surrounding fields and mountains present a vast patchwork of green, partly cultivated land and partly natural vegetation. Many of the older women wear traditional clothes with bright skirts and shawls, several layers of bright beads round their necks and a sort of 'pork pie' hat. They often seem to wear quite flimsy shoes but the standard footwear is wellingtons. While I was at La Chimba I went on two outings. The first was to a hot spring high up in the mountains. A small group of us was taken in a pick-up to a point from where we walked up and down through long grass until we came to the thermal pool. There is a small hut for changing in if you want a little privacy. I chose to change, hopping from foot to foot, on the rocks by the pool. It was a strange but exhilarating experience stripping off and lying in the warm water looking out over a green valley towards mountains beyond. The second outing was to San Marco lake, again a pick-up ride into the mountains. There is a feeling of such space and openness, winding your way upwards with mountains all around. That morning was very clear and all along the way we could see the snow capped Nevada Cayambe outlined against the clear blue sky. It is a very hypnotic presence and it keeps drawing your eyes back to it. The San Marco lake itself is not spectacular but its setting is. On this outing we had a ride across a river in a metal cradle on a pulley, which gave us a great feeling of adventure. I had been learning Spanish for only a few weeks and so my language skills were quite limited. I was lucky that there were other volunteers who spoke better Spanish. None of the community seemed to speak any English which is likely to be a bit of a barrier to communicating with visitors. It was discussed that I might start to teach the guides some English but this did not happen - only partly because I was not feeling as well as I would have liked and left La Chimba earlier than planned. Motivation to learn some English might need to be encouraged and a programme agreed with the community. The house where I stayed was modest, which is to be expected, but it was also very dirty and, in my opinion, not acceptable to paying visitors. Another volunteer stayed in what seemed to be a simple but better looked after home. I think it it is important for the community to ensure that host homes are of a minimum standard and suitable for visitors. The community is wanting to attract visitors for short stays. People in the community are friendly and happy to involve you in their lives. Some are interested to ask questions about where you come from. Apart from asking you about your family, one common question is how much your currency is worth! La Chimba is well worth a visit to see how its people go about their modest everyday lives and for you to enjoy and appreciate its beautiful setting.

[ Back ]

Dan Davis social studies in la Chimba

I went to La Chimba because it's history of political activism fit in well with my Sociology/Anthropology studies. My aim was primarily to help the community through my volunteer work, and secondarily to find a study topic for the independent study I was doing for my undergraduate work. Once there, the form my work took was teaching English. The classes were fun, but small. The teaching materials were few, and the lessons were comprised of writing on the board with the students copying notes-there were no textbooks. As I had never taught any type of class before this time, each day was a learning experience for both student and teacher.

Another project I became involved in was writing a brief cultural history of the town, dating from pre-Inka times to the present. This paper was written at the request of the local director of the indigenous group, which was convienent for me because it fit in well with my studies. In this project, I was given names of possible interview subjects, and told where I would be able to find them. I also conducted research of scholarly sources. The resulting paper was around three and a half pages. The director was unable to assist me in this task.

The town is set high in the mountains and is very remote, and very beautiful. The landscape was very scenic. The people were all very friendly, and I had a great time. Something I wish I had known before was the usual temperature. Some days are chilly, others somewhat warm, but as soon as the sun goes down the temperature drops and it becomes pretty cold. There is no heating in the houses, so I would advise prospective volunteers to bring warm clothes, both regular clothes and to sleep in.

DESCRIPTION OF LA CHIMBA

La Chimba

High in the Andes, the Kayambi community of La Chimba is reached by buses from Quito to Cayambé, and then from Cayambé to La Chimba. The second bus winds up a cobblestone road for 45 minutes past small farms with fields of corn and potatoes, and grazing for cattle. The air is clean and fresh, warm during the day but chilly at night. It is perfect countryside for walking.

The Kayambi population live by farming, with fields surrounded by mud walls planted with agave. Farms average 6 hectares. But with an expanding population farms are not large enough to split between the children, forcing many to leave the land and migrate to the cities. In the village of La Chimba a group of young people have joined together to develop ecotourism as an alternative to migration. They have formed an organization, Condor Huasi (Home of the Condor), and are constructing a center with a restaurant for day visitors, as well as developing a natural hot spring as a tourist attraction. They also have formed a folkloric group to perform traditional songs and dances of the Kayambi. They would also like to construct a hostal in the near future.

Volunteers can get involved in these projects:

• helping them to develop their ideas
• working with them on construction
• teaching English to guides and children

Additionally, the members of Condor Huasi have a great interest in recovering their cultural heritage as Kayambis. They are looking for a researcher to gather oral histories, traditions, myths, et cetera from the older generations to help them to understand their past.

Another project is to create a series of hiking trails and routes that join up local places of interest and tourism microenterprises in neighbouring villages. In this way these communities can begin to market walking and hiking vacations for people of all ages and levels of fitness. Volunteers of all ages with a pioneering spirit are required to help the community map out possible routes, establish different grades of hiking difficulty, list local resources and deficiencies, et cetera. A great way to experience a beautiful location and make a useful contribution to the development of the communities in this region.

Make sure to visit our image gallery to see more pictures of La Chimba.