Rural women from our homes take charge of raising our children, education and care of the family. Also of poultry, pig and orchard production; but we also participate in our grassroots organization. Without the support, accompaniment and technical and sometimes economic support of FUNDAPAZ it would not have been possible to improve the institutional functioning of our organization.

“I am 26 years old and I’ve always wanted to stay in Chaco. That’s the reason why I trained to help my people to be real producers. I am an Agriculture and Livestock Management technician, and I live in El Quebracho, in the department of Rivadavia, in the north of Salta. We are about 10 families in a criollo spot inside an indigenous territory. We devote ourselves to raising animals and beekeeping, and women have a vegetable garden. Our main problem has always been the lack of water. Luckily, a big cistern has been built in our hamlet and we have water for human consumption; we only lack water for agricultural production.”

In the Cuña Boscosa (Forest Wedge) of Santa Fe, we are working with a group of 25 women of our organization on a project focused on the use of renewable energies aimed at improving life in the homes, by introducing eco-friendly ranges and solar room and water heaters to use natural resources more efficiently. Not only do we try to take care of the environment, but we also work on issues related to healthcare and food.

In our meetings we exchange ideas and bring back to the present some forgotten ancestral knowledge that can help us improve our quality of life.

All the work carried out by FUNDAPAZ in the rural and indigenous communities, and the value given to sharing knowledge and experiences with other countries and various stakeholders, have placed the organization in a prominent position in the Latin American region regarding the defense and the promotion of the right to land and water. FUNDAPAZ leads the Latin American Semiarid Platform, which stretches across most semiarid areas in the region, combining advocacy strategies and regional and national political dialog with local employment, spreading sustainable and resilient techniques for food production, access to water and management of the natural resources of the territory. In ILC LAC we value this great ability to get involved in such diverse and multilevel processes, as well as their commitment and professionalism in the way they develop their work in favor of rural communities.

“Our organization comprises 30 wichí communities of San Martín department in Salta, and we are part of the Encuentro de Organizaciones Campesinas e Indígenas del Norte Argentino (ENCONA - Conference of the Rural and Indigenous Organizations of the North of Argentina). We work together to continue strengthening the organizations, to share information about what we are living and to try to have an impact on public policies. This space was promoted by FUNDAPAZ, and it has been one of the pillars of our organization because they’ve always helped us. We've never had enough funds of our own to hold meetings or assemblies.”

International Semear/ IICA Program has the privilege of working together with FUNDAPAZ since 2018, building a strong alliance for the strengthening of rural leaderships. In the last two years, resources and efforts have been invested in the construction of strategies for the  young focused on agroecology and peer learning, involving diverse Latin American stakeholders.

FUNDAPAZ contributes with its experience in networking, in the respect for rural voices and communities; it also provides its sensitivity and special care for native peoples, sharing their knowledge with their partners. Its excellent vision and management skills are focused on productivity and results.

For us, this is a fruitful alliance which provides mutual growth and strengthening perspectives.