Learn More About Mano a Mano’s Environmental Education Workshops in Bolivia
Mano a Mano staff traveled to 4 communities in the municipality of Omereque, Bolivia on December 19-21 to provide environmental education workshops, and visit some of the water ponds (atajados) that Mano a Mano has built in the area.
Mano a Mano staff and volunteers in Omereque, Bolivia, December 2016.
Staff from Mano a Mano Internacional, and our Center for Ecological Agriculture (CEA), traveled to the communities of Robles, Mesada, Huertas, and Quebrachas to provide environmental education workshops for residents where we had built water ponds years before, and are currently in the process of finishing up some maintenance and cleanup work so that the ponds are better able to capture more rain water.
Workshop Topics – Climate Change & Sustainable Water Management
The main topics in the workshops were discussions about climate change and good practices for sustainable water management. Water management is a huge concern for communities like Omereque and most of Bolivia; the country is currently experiencing its worst drought in 25 years, and Bolivia declared a national state of emergency in late 2016 – more than 41% of the municipalities in Bolivia have been affected.
Other topics covered included methods for taking care of people’s homes, the community, and their fields; and general hygiene to help avoid contamination of water and the earth.
Mano a Mano workshop in Omereque, December 2016.
These workshops were provided with the backing of the Municipality, and 80 people attended in total. In addition to presenting about methods that families could do to help better manage their natural resources, Mano a Mano also shared information about the tools available at the Center for Ecological Agriculture that could be replicated in their communities. In these workshops, people showed the most interest in the dry bathrooms, and they are going to travel to Cochabamba to visit the CEA and learn more.
Visitors at Mano a Mano’s CEA checking out the dry bathroom on display.
More Pictures from the Workshops in Omereque
More Posts from the Trip to Omereque
Mano a Mano water pond with water – Omereque, Bolivia, December 2016.
More Information about the Center for Ecological Agriculture (CEA)
- Why Did We Build the CEA? What Does it Do?
- An In-Depth Look at CEA’s On-Site Agricultural Training Workshops
- Building 104 Greenhouses in Tapacari, Bolivia