Our Vision and Mission
Yanapuma Foundation is a cooperative non-profit driven by the enthusiasm of its national and international staff and volunteers to work towards the realization of its vision of marginalized communities achieving equity and well-being, ecological, social and economic sustainability, and developing a sense of the uniqueness of their culture and place in the global context. We envision also accessible communication between members of developed and developing countries that fosters an understanding of their inter-relationship and interdependence within our globalized world.
Yanapuma Foundation aims to alleviate poverty and implement sustainable development through capacity building in marginalized populations, by balancing income generation with environmental stewardship, education and well-being in accordance with the Milennium Development Goals and Ecuador's national development policy. Furthermore, we work to create opportunities for cultural exchange between members of developed and developing countries for mutual benefit and learning by implementing educational and volunteer programs.
Our Objectives:
Our objectives are to design and implement successful and well-integrated development projects that improve the lives of poor and marginalized indigenous and rural populations throughout Ecuador.
Our Values:
At Yanapuma we believe in modelling the change we want to create. Our collaborative and egalitarian structure as a foundation reflects our values of cooperation and constructive engagement with the problems we aim to solve. Our projects are partnerships with communities in which we work to empower community members and to encourage ownership of change processes. Only in this way will our work yield sustainable results.
Our Approach and Methodology:
At Yanapuma we are developing an integrated strategy for sustainable development, that is based upon encouraging participation and collaboration and avoiding paternalism. As a new foundation we are developing methods of helping communities to help themselves, offering our expertise, technical support, and connections both national and international in the process of defining a sustainable path for their future.
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