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Quarantine Stops Family Gardens
- Self-Help Project Convinces and Inspires -
Landau 1. August 2020.
On the initiative of the mayors of Coquimbo and La Serena, as of Thursday (30 July), there is an additional preventative quarantine measure beyond the nightly curfew. As a result, the citizens are now only allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons (work, purchasing, or doctor visits). The spread of the pandemic in Chile (18.3 million inhabitants) is dramatic: the number of confirmed infections currently is 355,667. Germany (82.91 million inhabitants) currently has 210,399 confirmed infections. The number of new infections in Chile is daily 2,131 (Germany 864). The total deaths to date in Chile is 9,457 (Germany 9,147) (status as of August 1st). The quarantine does not only continue to cripple social life, but also has initially stopped the very successful campaign “Huertos familiares”, which we call the “Small Garden” campaign. Since the end of April, the Humboldt Alliance (an alliance for the protection of the environment, of which Sphenisco is also a member) has brought interested citizens foodstuffs as well as salad and vegetable plants to the coastal villages of the La Higuera community (1). Local authorities have supported this campaign and even helped in the organization. In a short period of time, “Huertos familiares” was the main topic of conversation and managed to release unexpected energies: the helpers from the Alliance were expected in the villages, the “new” gardeners thanked them with pictures of their growing plants, and began to consult and support each other with the cultivation. Fish scraps were composted, independent previously-started garden initiatives were reactivated. The Alliance even managed to win new members from the villages themselves.
Numerous media that normally would hush up the activities of the Alliance, have nevertheless reported about this sustainable self-help project (s.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZOwn0JbEE4)
The current dynamic and developments make it clear that “Huertos familiares” is not only seen as a charitable and solidary campaign, but also as an environmental campaign in the best sense of the word. The executive board from Sphenisco has therefore classified the “Small Garden” campaign (but not the foodstuff donations) as worthy of support according to the statutes of the organization.
W. K.
translated by Erich Greiner
Note:
(1) Caleta Los Hornos, Chungungo, Totoralillo Norte, La Higuera, Punta Colorada, Los Choros, Punta de Choros, El Llano de Los Choros, Chañaral de Aceituno
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Small Gardens as Self-Help
Landau, 1st July 2020.
In Chile, the number of people infected with Covid 19 is 6,5 times higher than in Germany, the death toll nearly 3 times (2,8). The real numbers are probably even higher. The fight against the pandemic by the Piñera government was deficient from the beginning; the government believed that economic interests had to be put above protective measures. The result is detrimental to both the economy and the health of the population. Chile's health system is on the verge of collapse, with doctors and nurses complaining of a lack of protective clothing and defective equipment. People in many regions are therefore trying to help themselves, erecting roadblocks to protect their villages, and organizing soup kitchens for the poorest of the poor.
In order to show solidarity and support the efforts to help people, the Alliance for the Protection of the Environment, "Alianza Humboldt" (SPHENISCO is part of the Alliance) launched a relief operation for the coastal villages of the municipality of La Higuera. The alliance raises funds to provide especially poor people with the necessities such as potatoes, flour, onions, disinfectant and clothing, as well as salad and vegetable plants to those interested. A picture gallery for the "Small Garden" campaign shows some of the first deliveries and activities.
Unfortunately, SPHENISCO cannot support this action, as the statutes of our organization do not provide for such measures. Some members have therefore personally donated to the "Food and Small Gardens" campaign; SPHENISCO then forwarded the money via Nancy Duman to "Alianza Humboldt". If you would like to support the campaign, you can send a donation to SPHENISCO’s account (account details: Sparkasse Südliche Weinstraße IBAN: DE 98 548500101700139320). Klaus Blumer (our Treasurer) will collect the donations and transfer them to Chile together with other payments in order to minimize the high transfer fee.
W.K.
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There is no translation available for this article. Article in German.
No hay traducción disponible para este artículo. Artículo en alemán.Wir wollen leben - Umweltbildung in Ica, Südperu
Landau 11. Juni 2020
Seit 10 Jahren organisiert und gestaltet Acorema Programme zur Umweltbildung im Auftrag von SPHENISCO. Begonnen hat die peruanische NGO ihre Kampagnen beim Reserva Nacional de Paracas (UNESCO Weltnaturerbe) in der Nähe von Pisco, Südperu. Inzwischen hat sie ihre Bildungsarbeit auf Regionen bei anderen wichtigen Brutgebieten wie das Reserva Nacional San Fernando und San Juan de Marcona in der Provinz Ica ausgeweitet. In der langen Zusammenarbeit überrascht Acorema immer wieder mit neuen Medien, die nicht nur inhaltlich hochwertig sondern auch wunderschön gestaltetet sind. Aktuell mußten Milagros Ormeño B. und ihre Mitstreiter die Arbeit wegen der Pandemie leider unterbrechen. Es ist geplant sie so bald wie möglich wiederaufzunehmen.
In dem kleinen Film https://vimeo.com/426299013 berichtet Gabriele Knauf über die Arbeit in den Jahren 2017-2019. Der Beitrag ist Teil der Berichterstattung bzw. der Vorbereitung der Mitgliederversammlung von SPHENISCO am 27. Juni 2020, die als Videokonferenz gestaltet wird.
Information about the Humboldt Penguin
written by Gabriele and Werner Knauf.
here in pdf-format (in German)