The demonstration site – Barrio San Francisco, Ascensión de Guarayos

My time in Bolivia is tentatively divided into 4 phases:
1)Learning from the experience of other NGOs and institutions and testing out our newly acquired knowledge before applying it in the rural community where we are going to work
2)Developing a more detailed and thorough knowledge of the potential beneficiary communities where we may work and finalizing the project design with community members
3)The implementation phase of the project, involving construction and training workshops
4)Initial follow-up to help ensure sustainability and learn lessons for future projects.

The first phase should last until late September, although we are already beginning some activities of the second phase as well. Much of my time with COBAGUAL since mid-July has been dedicated to an important part of the first phase of the project: the demonstration site in Ascensión. A month ago our demonstration site was an empty lot in the town. We will use it to put what we have learned in the first few weeks of the project into practice before adapting it to a rural community. Aside from providing us with more practical experience, the demonstration site is also intended to showcase the feasibility of urban gardens in Ascensión. Although the site isn´t up and running yet, several people from Ascensión have already asked for help in setting up their own household kitchen gardens upon hearing about our project idea. Local governments have also expressed some interest in supporting a larger scale urban garden project.

The plan is for me to live in a traditional mud brick and palm roof house (sleeping under an insect net) on the demonstration site throughout the rest of my time with the project. It is hoped that my living there will attract more attention to the project, help demonstrate that people involved with the project are willing to ´practice what we preach´, and serve as an example that other members of the community could follow at a fairly low cost. Construction of my home is already underway… pictures will be uploaded soon…