Deluge...community work

Another story from my adventures hunting cacao in Ecuador with Nova Monda Cacao and Chocolate.

Arriving into the little coastal village of Caimito, I hopped out of the old beat up ranchera, a rural van-like public transportation

with wooden bench seats bolted to the floor, and out into a torrential deluge of biblical proportions. It does not rain anywhere on earth like it rains on the coast in the tropics- imagine millions of gallons dumping from the sky in a thunderous crash. As I jumped down off the ranchera my friends Raul and Yor beckoned me to take shelter with a big group of neighbors gathered underneath a tin roof. Within seconds I was smiling and completely soaked, for in the time it took me to rush the 5 yards from the road to the roof it was as if I had been swimming the whole way.

With grins, hugs and handshakes we all greeted one another. I quickly realized I had arrived right in the middle of the weekly Minga. Mingas are an indigenous cultural tradition from the Andes where everyone in the community gets together to work on a project for the common good, or help out a particular community member. Today we were heading over to Ecoaldea, an eco village in Caimito, to see how the swale system and erosion control work that Ben

Murray had designed was holding up to the torrential tropical downpour. With hoots and laughter we all ran out from under the thunder of the tin roof and into the forest to check on the swales. Before reaching the work done at the eco-village to control erosion, we could see rivers of soil washing straight down the steep hills, running a reddish brown towards the ocean. As we approached the swales and ditches dug by Ben on contour around the eco-village it was a different sight entirely. Whole rivers of water crisscrossing the landscape, moving slowly and then sinking into the soil and finding its way to the springs and creaks below. We all marveled at how well it was working, and busied ourselves repairing places that had blown out in the intensity of the storm.

This kind of cooperative work party forms the foundation of how Nova Monda works with our friends and community members in Ecuador. By working beside them we all learn together and then can apply the wisdom of the whole group to projects that make life better, halt erosion, deepen soil, and protect the livelihoods of campesinos and chocolatiers a like. It is a truly community oriented, ecologically sensitive model.