It’s now been some years since another caravan, organised by Barcelona Acció Solidària, has been travelling through Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau distributing hope. It’s loaded with material that the Catalan NGO’s have collected to mitigate shortages suffered in the areas of health, education, training and infrastructure, initially detected by the Asociación Socio-Cultural Ibn Batuta (ASCIB).

This year, amongst the distributed material, there were also some computers that Iwith.org had obtained thanks to the help of Reursa, one of the users of the internet Ab-core platform. The computers will be part of an educational project in new technologies, which are the ones, in the opinion of Iwith.org, that generate development when well distributed and used.

The great achievement of this caravan is that the projects that will benefit from it have been the object of a careful on-site study that allows the detection of the most basic needs in the countries of destination. It is the local organisations that, in addition to distributing the material, have to previously make a help proposal, based on their most basic needs.

Reursa, but your organisation can also collaborate

Reursa is an urban remodelling company with a social purpose: together with the urban relocation and remodelling, the company takes into consideration the social aspects and the socio-educational intervention to improve psycho-sociologically the families and people affected by these plans, for the autonomous use of the allocated homes.

But these computers are not enough. There is also the need for working IT material, hygienic and sanitary material, school material and books in French and Arabic, that your organisation can provide us with by contacting with the Caravan organisers.

The Caravan organised by Barcelona Acció Solidària was born to mitigate on-site inequalities, but, at the same time, in Barcelona, they also offer legal advice, job notice board and orientation services for the work insertion of immigrants; information on social services and pensions; hosting of un-accompanied immigrant children and other initiatives such as cultural and play activities like a workshop on Islam, a space for women and sports initiatives, amongst others.

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The Yasuní is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet and the home of one of the last Indian groups who have no contact with the outside world. Yasuní is in danger because oil companies are desperate to exploit it. The most shocking thing is that the destruction of this UNESCO reserve will take place to provide only five days of the world consumption of crude oil.

The campaign seeks support for the project proposed last year by the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. In an innovating proposal, he asked for the economic backing of the international community for financing alternate productive alternatives, thus helping Ecuador to free itself from its dependence on oil. December 2008 was established as a deadline for governments to express their backing.

Anita Rivas, who will present the campaign in Barcelona, is a charismatic local leader who has been the central character in the local struggle for the rights of the inhabitants of the region and the preservation of biodiversity. During the act, Rivas will carry out a passionate petition to the authorities with a view to obtaining their commitment to this cause. This will be the same emphasis she will maintain with politicians during the week-long tour she has planned in Spain. Additionally the book “Yasuní Oro Verde”, published by the non-governmental organisation Movimiento Idún, which is involved in the campaign and has used the photo bank of the Municipal Government to make known the local reality at the international level.

“There are many arguments for keeping the oil in Yasuní Park under the ground. If we are able to, not only are we going to preserve a megadiverse space, home to various Indian cultures; we will become a universal symbol that another world is possible. Truly. The success of the defense of Yasuní will be a milestone for overcoming the humanity’s challenge to offset the effects of climate change,” warned Rivas.
Please visit www.yasunioroverde.org for additional information and buying the books.


Related information

Taken from the printed edition of El Telégrafo from Ecuador, September 9, 2008
Yasuní Project is being readied

The design for obtaining international support was approved by the Ministers of the Environment and Foreign Relations.
Photo of the Idún Movement

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