Other Sustainable Projects
Over the years, CONAPAC has participated in and facilitated other projects in the rainforest communities we serve. These include:
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CAMU CAMU PATCH -- Camu camu, a fruit containing nearly 30 times more Vitamin C than oranges, can be cultivated and processed into juice, jam, and many other products for the market. As little as one acre of land can produce more than a ton of fruit per season.
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LATRINES -- The desire for clean, environmentally efficient toilets is an ongoing need. The lack of this most basic necessity has motivated many donors to provide funding for latrines. Many communities now have this improvement for their schools and the community, but many more are yet to be built. CONAPAC will continue to facilitate construction of new latrines as funding permits. -
BAKERIES OR PANADERIAS -- Communities along the Amazon and
Napo rivers only have access to baked goods like bread when boats bring them from Iquitos. This nutritional complement to their regular diet of fish, boiled plantains, and boiled manioc is quite a treat. Through the generosity of our donors, CONAPAC constructed bakeries in Timicuro Grande and in Irlanda, where the villagers are currently making bread from plantain, corn, and manioc flour, which is readily available in the village, as well as from wheat flour purchased in Iquitos. The bread is not only a hit in the villages but has also become a source of income as they are selling to neighboring communities. -
FISH FARMS OR PISCIPOSAS -- Rather than constructing expensive traditional large fish
ponds, we use a system of individual family ponds called pisciposas or "little fish wells." These small ponds allow individual families to maintain fish alive to grow, conserve, feed themselves or sell. To start a group of families making their individual fish wells, we purchase shovels, wheelbarrows, and fiber bags to move soil, and a large fish net to catch fry. The families hold mingas, similar to barn raisings in rural United States, when everyone helps to build the family ponds.
As other ideas, opportunities, and situations present themselves, CONAPAC will continue to assist the communities along the Amazon and Napo Rivers with sustainable ways to improve their lives and protect the natural environment.
For more information about these projects and how you can help, contact us.
