Report of the Ecovillage Design Education Programme at Islas del Rosario, Colombia in 2014. This grassroots EDE was organised for an Afro-Colombian community that represents 800 people from 120 families. This 3 week course had several local leaders contributing to the course, as well as key facilitators who shared their knowledge on what are the challenges and the best solutions for becoming a traditional ecovillage.

2. Location: Islas del Rosario. Afro-
Colombian community (2014)
The Community Council of Islas del
Rosario is the legal organization that
represents the community of 800
people gathered in 120 families. We
inhabit for more than 200 years the
islands of the archipelago of Islas del
Rosario
We are descendants of Baru, a
village created one year after the
abolition of slavery by the slaves of
“hacienda Baru”

3. Participants. We had
a constant group of
15 participants and
during the different
activities a group of
55 people
participante.

4. Introduction to the course to the community

5. Facilitators
Andres Pardo, Ancestral traditions
Carlos Rojas, social dimension
Holger Hieronimi, Ecology dimension Juan Alberto Bertel “Pampe” traditional
musician
Ever de la Rosa, Leader and rep
of the Community Council
Ana Rosa Martinez,
Community ecotourism leader

6. Eika de la Rosa coordnator Life Plan
Ladyluz de La Rosa - local support
Sandry, Graciela, Dibeis
Local support
Several local leaders
gave different
contributions to the
course
From sharing their
challenges to what are
the best solutions they
have found during the
process of becoming an
traditional ecovillage
Dennise Dueñas, communications
Margarita O. Zethelius, general coordinator
Hernando , Traditional knowledge
Facilitators

7. Some of our classrooms, the big caucho
We have a three week intense course with sessions in different locations of
the Island. As the main participants where grassroots people the practical
activities where the ones with more interest and as the program was
evolving we concentrate more in those and less in the theory

8. Some of our classrooms, Communitarian Ecohotel las Palmeras.
We learned from the experience of Ana Rosa how a native can be an entrepreneur and
develop its one Ecotourism project in articulation with the community plan of collective
ownership of the territory and recognition of rights for afro-colombian people

9. Workshop non violent comunicación and conflict resolution
Facilitator Social dimension Carlos Rojas

10. Knowledge exchange. Jorge from the Zenu (indigenous
community) teaches the art of making huts with palm leafs

11. Activities in the school: talks, peace dances, conflict
resolution

12. Project design and developed by all the group. Cleaning day in the Nispero, the
tree identify by the Mamos (indigenous traditional leaders) as a sacred tree

13. Conflict resolution in practice. After a small case of robbery we invite all the community to a
conflict resolution activity. All of us gave our support to solve the situation and generate
commitment in the work with youth in the Isla. “We are experiencing a power manifested when we
communicate from the heart and not from the defensive and aggressive mania mind. A mind that
wants to simplify the existence creating simple polarities”

14. Ecological dimension by Holger Hieronimi.

15. Recognition of the land uses. visit
to las “rosas” places for planting.
Visit to the project of nursery a
step in the process of elders
involvement and the program of
forest enrichment.

16. Exercise: mapping analysis, changes in land use

17. Land area zoning exercise

18. 18
Zoning exercise. Taking collective decisions about land use.

19. Ecological design in ecohostel “Las Flores”

20. 20
Learning to make soap from
used oil. Experimenting with oil
coming from fried fish, the
challenge !the fish smell!
Exploring
economic
alternatives

21. Lessons learned by Arnela Simancas participant from Islas del Rosario

22. Peace dances and elders involvement. Facilitated by: Carlos Rojas

23. Graduation!!! Celebration and mutual recognition

24. Graduation!!! Celebration and mutual recognition

25. Finances
This EDE aim is to have as much grassroots community leaders as possible, in order to be able to facilitate this we needed to
lowest the costs as much as possible.
This EDE was possible thanks of join efforts between different organizations, the facilitators and the community of Islas del
Rosario.
The table shows the costs and the counterparts of different organizations in Colombian pesos
Total cost
Contrapartida
ecohoteles y
consejo
Comunitario
Contrapartida
Agenda Caribe
Contrapartida
CASA
Otras
contrapartidas y
aportes
Food $8,700,000 $4,350,000 $4,350,000 $900,000
Accommodation $4,500,000 $4,050,000 $450,000
Transport $1,920,000 $720,000 $1,200,000
Other $3,040,000 $1,500,000 $310,000 $150,000 $940,000
Total $9,900,000 $1,030,000 $4,500,000 $3,490,000