- Social Innovation Fellowship
Concentration
Award Year
Ecuadorian rainforest
This is a project based in Ecuador, in the foothills of the Andes, the watershed of the Amazon region, working specifically with a network of 29 Kichwa indigenous communities growing some of the best cacao in the world, in the province of Napo. The guiding objective of this project is, in collaboration with community leaders and stakeholders, to identify and create shared value for members of the Wiñak Association through the harvest of locally grown cacao beans (as well as other raw materials like coffee and traditional healing plants). Ecotourism is an additional opportunity for these communities, with tourists acting as stewards by investing their time, talent and treasure, thus marginalizing the intermediary and creating additional value for the local growers and their families.