COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
We see the local community as our partners for making life on this paradise more pleasant and fulfilling for all who are a part of it. Therefore, one of our main objectives is to be involved and contribute to the community around us.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTS WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS
ENGLISH CLASSES
There are around 15 children ranging from 5 to 12 years old who attend the local school. However, there is only one teacher and all the children learn in the same class, with the same basic curriculum, and the local families can only send their children to this school because there is no other option. Our Volunteer Program has offered the unique opportunity for the children to learn English from native and fluent English speakers, a rare privilege in the Colombian schools system.
The cultural and language exchange is a magical experience for both the children and for the volunteers:
 Cultivarte volunteers teaching English at Escuela La Esmeralda |  Cultivarte volunteers teaching English at Escuela La Esmeralda |  Cultivarte volunteers playing football with the kids at Escuela La Esmeralda |
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 Cultivarte volunteers playing football with the kids at Escuela La Esmeralda |
LOCAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL
For many years the local community council was nonfunctional. When we first started to work with the local community we realised that in order to achieve the goals we had set for ourselves, we would need to team up with the local community and utilise the existing formal structure. So, together with other concerned neighbours, we revived the community council.
The elected council commenced in July 2016. Since then we have executed overdue community projects, and implemented new ones, such as road reconstruction, a single mother support program, roadside cleaning days and much more.
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COMMUNAL WORKING DAYS
Every couple of months or so the community comes together to carry out projects such as:
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Road Repair
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Community Clean Up
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Water System Maintenance
FREE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE CLASSES
When we found out that Anapoima’s city council has a small department that provides free technical support to farmers and that they are organically oriented, we teamed up with the council to create a group of local farmers who meet weekly to learn about organic agriculture, in order to create a more environmentally responsible, socially involved community.
 Cultivarte at the Local Community Council election for the La Esmeralda neighborhood of Anapoima |  Road repair |  Organic Agriculture Class |
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 Organic Agriculture Class meeting at Cultivarte |  Water system maintenance |  Water system maintenance |
YOGA AND MUSICALITY CLASSES
You probably already know the benefits of yoga: relaxation, stress reduction, mental clarity, better breathing, coordination and physical strength. However, yoga isn't just for adults...yoga is for everybody regardless of age, size, or level of experience! Earlier this year we organised a fun and spontaneous adventure for the children at the local school, who spent the day at our farm getting their bodies moving and stretching. With the collaboration of talented musician Sam Skalà, we were able to incorporate music into the mix, which helped to calm the senses and teach the children how to slow down, relax, express and honour themselves (that's something that we all could use more of in this fast-paced world we live in).
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It was incredibly positive and heart-warming to see the huge smiles on the children's faces throughout the day, and to see them work together and help each other learn a new skill. We plan to organise more workshops like this one in order to further strengthen our connections with the local community, and to bring joy to children from less privileged backgrounds.
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