CAEMBA arrives at the indigenous Chachi community of Balzar. The Chachi are an indigenous people who inhabit the Northern Coast of Ecuador, within the Province of Esmeraldas. The Balzar community is located on the boundary of the Mache Chindul Reserve, one of the last bastions of the Chocó forest, the most biodiverse ecosystem and rich in endemic species on the planet. The Chachi people preserve about 18,000 hectares of forest within the reserve.
The earthquake in April and its subsequent aftershocks destroyed most of the houses and the school in the Balzar community. CAEMBA is building 13 bamboo houses in Balzar, 7 two-story houses of 70 m2 for large families and 6 one-story houses of 35 m2 for families of up to 5 members.
Once again, CAEMBA arrives with a tractor to this isolated community before the rains start in January, making it impossible to reach.
The Balzar community doesn’t have a school, and the children are receiving classes in a tent with a mud floor. CAEMBA is seeking funding to build a bamboo school in Balzar.
