Rosa's Story - Coady International Institute - St. Francis Xavier ...

At the core of Jambi Kiwa’s success has been the ability of its leaders to motivate
members, mobilize existing assets and lever outside resources. Even with financial
contributions and hands-on assistance from numerous external agencies, Jambi
Kiwa has managed to retain control over its strategic direction. External agencies
have responded to an agenda set by Jambi Kiwa, providing creditors, financial contributors,
technical and economic advisors, and volunteers.
When asked what she would like to see in ten years, Rosa said she wanted to see
better incomes for member families and more opportunities for young people to
stop the migration to the cities. She added:
I want to see that the Andean culture will be strengthened, that these efforts we are
making to revalue and extend the ancestral knowledge of medicinal plants, this training,
will have paid off and that mothers and fathers [can] pass [it] on to their children.
I want to see the Andean vision become part of the overall [vision for]…Ecuador. And
I want to see Jambi Kiwa as a model for others…one that contributes to the new
society (personal communication, October 14, 2004).
Rosa put this all in perspective by concluding that twenty-five years ago she would
have been happy to have children and see her family working on the land. Now she
and her colleagues have a much wider vision.
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