Solidaile : Solidaire des Initiatives Locales à l’Etranger

19^th of December 2011

In 2011, Solidaile started work on two new collaborations in the central Peruvian jungle. Two trainee agronomists, Lenaig and Yaniick, spent 3 months working alongside local participants and wished to talk about these two projects in the Solidaile newsletter.

The first community involved is that of the Pucusani Union in Chanchamayo province,  in the department of Junin. Five coffee farmers have been able to benefit from personal loans to finance the purchase of organic manure. The aim of this financial aid will be on the one hand to increase the yield and quality of the soil culture and on the other to pay the wages and transport of the seasonal workers during harvest time (April – July). This will have agronomic, organisational and social implications as the local participants in this project and their families will be able to draw from this agricultural activity a more sizeable and lasting income.

The second collaboration involves the native ashaninka community at San Miguel also in the Chanchamayo province and in the department of Junin. This indigenous people who continue to follow a traditional way of life are very anxious to respect their natural resources as well as conserve their ashaninka traditions. Moreover two members of the community regularly organise tourist visits (Norwegians for the most part) through an ecotourism association which they, themselves, set up. In this way foreign visitors have the pleasure of learning about ashaninka customs and at the same time are helping to generate a supplementary income for the community.

The sale of agricultural products, in particular coffee, the price of which is currently rising, is their primary source of income. However, due to a lack of knowledge and training small farmers sow, produce and transform their coffee without organisation or the use of specific techniques. Certain farmers in San Miguel have tended on the one hand to let their land  lie fallow and on the other to exhaust the earth they cultivate. Furthermore a very arid climate in the dry season and almost impassable roads in the rainy season are all elements that hinder the smooth running of the farmer’s business. That is why at the end of summer 2011 the community received from Solidaile support aimed at financing a project that would provide technical assistance and include the following:

• A training programme lasting 8 months, run by an expert agronomist specialising in coffee production, for the 23 families which make up the community
• Soil analyses to determine the type of fertilizer required and suitable coffee varieties
• A project of organic fertilisation for a quarter of the plots of land in San Miguel, shared out between the 23 families of the community

The results of such a project will be measured long term. Coffee cultivated in fertilised soil doubles or triples its yield after 2/3 years. The economic benefits of the project should be seen before long. Another positive effect of the project has been the organising and bringing together of families in the community amongst whom it is possible to see a deep desire to support each other and learn.

In addition to the 23 families of the community benefitting from the programme, the young have also expressed a wish to take part in the training programme set up by the expert agronomist.  In order to facilitate his task the farmers have agreed to house him and look after him in accordance with the strict timetable established by the programme.

The communities of the Pucusani Union and San Miguel are extremely motivated and are doing all that is necessary to conduct and conclude their projects. We therefore are hopeful that we will have encouraging and promising results in the years to come.

Until the next newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work and wishes you all a very happy holiday season.

Solidailement!

Lenaig and Yannick,  Solidaile trainees

7^th of october 2011

A new Activity report is here. The layout is simpler than previous versions whilst at the same time taking fully into account our activities over the past year. It is available upon request by writing to info@solidaile.org

One of the main and most significant events since last spring has been the building of the new Casa Pukullawa at Huancavelica. This has been achieved with the invaluable support of some engineering students from Grenoble and Solidaile volunteers.

The Local Cooperative of ‘Pukullawa’ will from now on have its own building and will be welcoming two Solidaile volunteers within the next few days. They will be organising activities, benefiting both children and teenagers alike.  Working alongside the local people their main aim will be to set out and define short and medium term objectives that will strengthen and give new impetus to the ‘Pukullawa’ association.

On the agricultural level, the agronomists have done an outstanding job, working alongside local people, in the assessment and monitoring of new and existing projects. There has even been the setting up of a new collaboration which will aim to finance ways needed to improve coffee production.

In Caral the building of the ‘gîte’ is making good progress. There are still a number of important stages that need to be completed before tourists can be welcomed – it should be ready by the beginning of 2012, at the latest. We have already started looking at ways to best support activities linked to Alternative Tourism.

Finally, Solidaile continues to grow with Selwa  rejoining our team (former Solidaile volunteer). She will take charge of monitoring the agricultural projects whilst Christophe will look after  Alternative Tourism .

Until the next newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work.

Solidailement

Philippe Nadiras

20 April 2011

The Solidaile evening on 1^st April was a huge success. This was thanks not only to the confidence 3 Baudets has shown in Solidaile for the third year running and the exceptional performances of the group Karpatt and DJ Sylvanie de Lutece but also to the public who attended (all tickets being sold via the internet) and the involvement and efforts of Anne and Julie.

As planned the proceeds will go towards partly financing the purchase of a plot of land and the building of a new site for the local cooperative “Pukullawa” at Huancavelica which we have been supporting for the past 5 years. “Pukullawa” helps children and teenagers alike living in difficult conditions by organising education and training activities that can be of help to them.

The decision to undertake such a project stems from the need to build a new site but also and above all from the desire of 14 engineering students from L’INP in Grenoble, to join forces and get involved via their own association Solida’rire, whose objectives are close to those of Solidaile.

They have not only been preparing for this trip for the past 3 months but have also been raising funds. They will be arriving in June in order to proceed with the purchase of materials and to actively take part in working on the building site. If you would like to be involved with this project and support us by sending us a donation, please do so and many thanks in advance!

At the same time a number of agronomists have decided to get involved this summer in different agricultural and breeding projects which we are supporting in Peru in order to follow their progress and development.

By then we will have finished writing up a new report on the work of Solidaile which we will be sure to send on to you.

Until the next Newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work.

Solidailement & Solida’rirement!

Philippe Nadiras

1^st February 2011

There is something new on the Solidaile website! Albert and Quentin have produced and put online a series of short videos showing seven projects we are currently supporting. These two French students spent several days with the Local Cooperatives getting to know them and filming the various aspects of the work of the local people involved in these projects. On their return to France they continued to work on the production of these small documentaries which allow visitors to the Solidaile site to gain a more concrete understanding of the work we do. You can discover more about them by searching under the heading ‘Photos’ on the website.

On the event side, for the third year running, a concert will be held at 3 Baudets on Friday 1^st April at 8.30 pm, in aid of Solidaile. We have the honour in welcoming the group:

Karpatt (www.myspace.com/karpatt )

The evening will continue after the concert with the energetic and eclectic sounding DJ – Sylvanie de Lutece

The proceeds will be entirely donated to Solidaile. We strongly advise you to buy your tickets online as soon as possible. (http://www.lestroisbaudets.com/). We hope to attract a large crowd so please tell anyone you know!

As far as our work is concerned, we continue to follow the progress of all the projects that we support and also offer additional support to certain Local Cooperatives namely through the presence of a number of trainees (agronomist and university). In addition we have been able to give a favourable response to a request to collaborate on a new project involving coffee production in the commune of Pucusani (close to La Merced). Their main needs are at the production level but the project also opens up interesting educational and social possibilities. 

In a few weeks time Solidaile’s Activity report for 2011 (newly designed) will be available by writing to info@solidaile.org . Here you will be able to find a full presentation of our work.

Until the next Newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work.

Solidailement!

Philippe Nadiras

3rd of december 2010

2010 has on the whole been a year of encouraging results for the projects supported by us in Peru.

In Huancavelica, work continues on the Cielo Azul alternative tourism project and is sustained by a number of advertising initiatives both locally and regionally and by a constant search for new partnerships. Elsewhere our continued presence and involvement on site has been ensured thanks to the recruitment of some new volunteers.

In Caral, good progress has been made in the building of the ‘gite’ and a number of obstacles have been overcome such as obtaining permission to run the site as a hotel. It should be possible to get the project up and running as early as the beginning of 2011 with the educational  side of the project (a library that would be available to children and schools)  being organised in the following months.

With regard to our agriculture and breeding programmes there have been a number of events which have stood out in 2010 namely: the acquisition of equipment for use in forestry (for the Yaneshas), machines to convert seeds from Sacha Inchi into oil and the setting up of a new organisation which will work closely with the team in charge of the guinea pig breeding programme. It will be important and necessary to monitor the development of these projects during the course of 2011 and this will be done by the arrival of new trainee agronomists.

In Huaraz, in the local cooperative of Ally Ruray, the carpentry project, launched in 2008, has had good results with an impressive number of orders on its books. It expects to see returns in 2011.

In the next few days we will be putting on our internet site a number of videos, produced last summer by two volunteers, Albert and Quentin which show seven Local Cooperatives that we support and which will allow you to have clearer idea of the kind of work we do.

Please note that as of 25^th November 2010 our address has changed.  Our new address is Solidaile, 16 rue singer, 75016 Paris France.

Finally one last piece of news: 3 Baudets have accepted for the third time for us to organise a concert which should take place in June 2011, all profits being paid to us. We will of course bring you more information (chosen group, exact date, etc) very soon.

The Solidaile team thanks you once again for your invaluable support and interest you have shown in our work and wishes you all a very Happy Holiday season.

Solidailement !

Philippe Nadiras

1^st of September 2010

Solidaile has been present in Huancavelica since 2006, supporting the local Cooperative of Pukullawa which offers educational programmes and activities for children and adolescents who have come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Cielo Azul agency which supports tourism connected to Pukullawa has been created with two objectives in mind: the first to generate new means with which to develop further Pukullawa’s activities; the second to give impetus to local tourism. We are convinced that when tourism is managed in a responsible and supportive way it can act as a vehicle for economical, social and cultural development for the local population.

The project to support tourism in Huancavelica was launched over a year ago however it is really since January 2010 that we have seen the greatest progress. Today the Cielo Azul agency is firmly in place. An office ideally located in the central square has been made available by the Municipality of Huancavelica in order to welcome visitors in the best possible environment.

Cielo Azul receives a particular type of visitor and works together with two other tourist agencies in Lima to receive groups. It is already able to offer tourists the chance to visit major places of interest in the region and it is working to diversify its activities and expand by introducing new tourist trails.

The agency works together with a number of local entrepreneurs, in the spirit of respect and fairness, in the areas of restoration, transport, lodging, guides and crafts. Its presence has become more widely known thanks to a website (www.turismocielazul.com) and to various forms of advertising (guides, internet sites etc) providing a comprehensive picture for the visitor.

The agency is supported also by a number of local public bodies (The Municipality, The Chamber of Tourism, The Regional Tourism Board, and others). Finally the number of visitors being welcomed and expressing satisfaction is very positive which is very encouraging for the future.

The Cielo Azul agency is still relatively new and has already encountered a number of challenges since its inception. There is still a long way to go in order to ensure the continuity of our activities and to fulfil our two objectives of supporting the cooperative of Pukullawa and the local economy but the first results are both promising and encouraging. Today the Cielo Azul agency enjoys the financial and staff support of Solidaile. The objective is to lead the agency towards a state of autonomy within the next three years.

Until the next Newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work.

Solidailement!

Diane and Xavier, Solidaile volunteers

30th April 2010

In our last newsletter we wrote to you about our Alternative Tourism project.  Once again remarkable progress has been made in this area thanks to the work of the Solidaile trainees on the spot and to the support and involvement of the participants in the Local Cooperatives, Region, Town and Tourist Office.

The first tourists (8 in total) arrived in Huancavelica during the Easter break and had a very successful visit. It will soon be possible to find out more about this new tourist travel opportunity on a website which we will inform you about as soon as it is up and running. The other important step in the project is the approval and marketing of a large tourist trail that will include different cooperatives engaged in alternative tourism and supported by us.

We wish to take this opportunity to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to all our trainees who are devoting (Audrey, Xavier and Diane) and have devoted (Franck and Charis) so much of their time to this enormous project!

On the event side  and for the second year running  a concert will be held at ‘Les Trois Baudets’ on Saturday 15^th May 2010 at 8.30 pm, in aid of Solidaile. Two groups will be performing French songs:

“Barcella”          (www.myspace.com/barcellafrance )

“Face a la Mer” (www.myspace.com/facelamer )

This is a concert not to be missed!                                

The proceeds from the concert will be donated entirely to Solidaile. We strongly advise you to book your tickets online as soon as possible at www.lestroisbaudets.com . We hope to attract a large crowd so please tell anyone you know!

Until the next newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work

Solidailement

Philippe Nadiras

4^th March 2010

As part of its main objectives for 2010, Solidaile has decided to keep on four of its long term trainees in order to complete the final stages of the setting up of the alternative tourism trail namely:  logistics, training and marketing.

Audrey is the one who started working on the project back in January and she has already had some excellent results on several fronts. We have, for example, received support from the town of Huancavelica, which has agreed to contribute a significant amount towards the financing of the project – proof that the proposal is solid and that we will now be able to welcome the first tourists in the next few weeks.

Xavier and Diane will arrive in April and will amongst other things resume teaching French and English to the main local participants in the project. Laura will finalise the launching of the project in September and will monitor the building of the ‘gite’ at Caral, a new alternative tourist site that we decided to support in 2009.

Other trainees will be leaving soon in order to ensure the continuation of our work and also to oversee the launch of two new collaborations. The first project concerns the use of forestry resources in the upper region of the Peruvian Amazon and is due to start at the beginning of the dry season in May. The second is linked to the group of artisans, TAWAQ, who are located not far from Lima.

Until the next newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work.

Solidailement!

Philippe Nadiras

28^th October 2009

We have had some very encouraging results from our various trainee agronomists. There has been positive feedback from the Sacha Inchi project in La Merced where Vivien and Sylvain have noted the strong motivation and organisation of the local entrepreneurs. It has recently been decided to set up a workshop to convert seed into oil – it should be up and running before long. This will allow the storing of unsold seeds, preventing wastage and maximising income potential. In addition we are pleased to announce the launching of ‘Ainy,’ by Savoirs des Peuples a programme to encourage the growth and care of important and protected species of plants which is at the heart of the Sacha Inchi project.

A thorough study was undertaken on the Yaneshas and their project for the use of forestry resources.  The launch of this has been postponed until 2010. This is both for practical reasons (the need to wait for the dry season) and for technical reasons. It was felt that certain elements of the proposal needed to be strengthened in order to ensure a smooth delivery.

Lucie and Marie have been studying two projects in the guinea pig breeding programme. From the information gathered we have been able to offer support for the first project, located in the Ayacucho region and employing the ‘Retama’ local cooperative. Our decision was based on the quality of the proposal put forward, the investment made by local entrepreneurs and their ability to cooperate with outside authorities. With regards to the second project, located in Pira, we are currently awaiting additional information before deciding whether to go into partnership.

2010 will be an important year in the development of our projects linked to alternative tourism. The Caral project is advancing well. The building of a ‘gite’ began at the beginning of last August and should be finished within the next few months. Carole and Noe, two association staff members, have visited the ‘Ecomundo’ local cooperative towards La Merced and have noted the very real interest being shown towards the line of activities being proposed for the alternative tourism trail. At Huancavelica local entrepreneurs are finalising the last stages before launching the programme.

As far as Solidaile events are concerned we would like to extend a big Thank You to ‘3 Baudets’ for having allowed us to organise a very successful concert last July. Success was due to both the high standard of the groups taking part (Barcella and Les Tit’Nassels) and the number of people that attended – It was full!

 In addition do not miss the next Solidaile dinner on 28^th November. Contact valerie.aquilina@cea.fr to reserve your place as soon as possible.

Amongst our main objectives over the coming weeks, will be discussion with a number of local entrepreneurs in Peru about entering into new partnerships in agricultural and craft projects. We are also considering a number of proposals by students wishing to join our various projects as trainees.

Until the next Newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and the interest you have shown in our work.

Philippe Nadiras

June 1st, 2009

 A report of activity is now available. The interest of this document is to bring a presentation of our various actions which we support accompanied by statistical data and comments as for the results obtained in the various projects (this document is available on request to info@solidaile.org).

 Since the last Newsletter, many departures for Peru are being prepared. Besides Vivien and Sylvain, two other agricultural engineers, Lucie and Marie, decided to work on the projects of breeding in the area of Huaraz and Ayacucho in July for months. Another volunteer should go in the next few days in Huancavelica in order to work on the preparation of the project of the circuit of alternative tourism.

 Several other volunteers are also planned for the summer especially in Huancavelica to provide valuable educational support to children and teenagers alike. They will devote part of their time to teaching French to the young adults who will take charge of the alternative tourism activities at the end of 2009 since the majority of participants will be French.

 Concerning the special event to come, Julie and Anne organized,

 the 1st of July 2009 at 20:30,

 an exceptional concert at the famous place “Les Trois Baudets” (www.lestroisbaudets.com).

 two music groups of French song are planned,

 “Barcella” (www.myspace.com/barcellafrance),

 and “Les Tit’ Nassels” (www.lestitnassels.com).

 The proceeds of the ticket sales will be completely donated to Solidaile. Do not hesitate to buy your ticket on line (www.lestroisbaudets.com)!

 Until the next newsletter, the Solidaile team wishes to thank you for your invaluable support and interest you have shown in our work. We wish you a very Happy Holiday season.

 Solidailement!

Philippe Nadiras