For more than two years, adelphi has been supporting indigenous associations in Central America in implementing a funding programme of the KfW. So far, adelphi has assisted with the implementation of more than 50 projects in six countries. Now an interactive map is available online.
Indigenous groups make up about one third of the population of Central America. However, these groups make up a disproportionately larger share of the poorer sections of the population. At the same time, these groups have a lot of knowledge about the environmentally conscious management of natural resources. On behalf of KfW, adelphi coordinates a funding programme, which co-finances selected initiatives of indigenous and smallholder groups that improve the living conditions of the local population, conserve natural resources and strengthen cultural identity.
During its first half, the four-year programme funded more than 50 eligible projects in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. Thematically, the projects range from forest conservation and restoration measures, community initiatives in ethno- and agritourism to environmental education and the tradition of indigenous knowledge.
In order to better visualise the spatial distribution of the funded projects, the Association of Indigenous and Community Agroforestry in Central America (ACICAFOC) created an interactive map which provides key data and short profiles (in Spanish) for each project. The ACICAFOC implements the programme jointly with the Indigenous Council of Central America (CICA), which works together with the indigenous NGO Sotz’il.