Salvadorian Textile Arts Workshops In May 2024, Sombrilla started a new sewing project in partnership with CEBES in El Salvador and funded by CHEF (Canadian Home Economics Foundation). The project addresses several issues, including supporting dignified access to clothing for people living with poverty, development of skills in design, sewing and traditional embroidery, and diverting second hand clothing from the fast fashion industry from landfills. Renewing, Recycling, Embellishing Like many developing countries, El Salvador receives bales of cast off clothing from wealthier countries and … Continue reading Salvadorian Textile Arts Workshops |
Computer Assisted Learning Schooling in most rural Honduran villages ends at Grade 6, usually because parents cannot afford to send their children to junior high school away from home. For example, the dropout rate between Grades 6 and 7 in the Municipality of Santa Cruz de Yojoa has been as high as 96%, according to the local Superintendant of Schools Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) is an inexpensive and effective way of providing basic education in developing countries. A digitized curriculum is installed on … Continue reading Computer Assisted Learning |
Jose Garcia Scholarship Fund The Salvadorian partners began this scholarship fund in 2005 to pave a way for youth to become the community leaders of tomorrow. The program was founded by Padre Rogelio Ponseele, a local leader, activist and cleric.to the community. He in turn sought support from the *Comunidades Eclesiásticas de Base de El Salvador or Christian Base Communities of El Salvador (CEBES) in Perquin and communities in Belgium, his country of origin. In 2016 the scholarship fund was expanded under the name … Continue reading Jose Garcia Scholarship Fund |
Equal Access to Justice for Women in Honduras The long-term goal of the project is to empower women and girls in their ability to protect their rights, in particular their right to a live free of gender-based violence (GBV). Sombrilla is working with OCDIH to test the concept of a “mobile legal clinic” offering legal and other support services to local women facing gender-based violence in Honduras. This project seeks to empower women and girls in their ability to protect their rights, in particular the right to a … Continue reading Equal Access to Justice for Women in Honduras |
Yurac Yacu Food Security Project The community of Yurac Yacu is made up of the highest parts of two municipalities. It is a high-altitude indigenous farming community situated at 3650 m elevation, at the base of the Cordillera Blanca Mountains. At this altitude, the climate is cold with nighttime temperatures below zero. Although this is a farming community, the harsh climate makes it difficult to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables. While most people are able to consume sufficient calories, there are concerns about … Continue reading Yurac Yacu Food Security Project |
Women’s Health Project Peru Uro-Gynecology Initiative: Hope & Help for Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse & Incontinence Since 2014 in Ayacucho & Huaraz, Peru Partnerships: Uro-gynecolgy Clinic, Lois Hole Hospital Andean Alliance SOMDES The Uro-gynecolgy Project is the result of a partnership between Sombrilla and the Uro-gynecolgy Clinic at the Lois Hole Hospital. The clinic provides a holistic approach to treating pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence for women here in Edmonton. They are a multidisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists and nutritionists. … Continue reading Women’s Health Project |
Yurac Yacu Community Centre Project The community of Yurac Yacu is made up of the highest parts of two municipalities. It is a high-altitude indigenous farming community situated at 3650 m elevation, at the base of the Cordillera Blanca Mountains. The community has been struggling with high levels of poverty and very low levels of education especially amongst women. A main goal of the community association has been to develop economic opportunities in the community so that the young people will not feel compelled to … Continue reading Yurac Yacu Community Centre Project |
SOMDES Sewing Workshop Project Peru: Ayacucho – SOMDES Sewing Workshop Project Since 2015 in Ayacucho, Peru Partner: SOMDES (Global Solidarity for Social Development) Our partner organization SOMDES works with a poor indigenous population in Ayacucho, Peru in the Andes Mountains of South America. They provide programming designed to help at risk adolescents to develop self-supporting skills such as organic gardening, guinea pig farming, weaving and sewing. The students attend the program outside of school hours. The program provides them with positive adult role models … Continue reading SOMDES Sewing Workshop Project |
Tierra Colorada Garden Project 2021 Tierra Colorada, Guatemala – June 2021 to May 2022 Project Goals:Teach students to grow common vegetable cropsInclude families and community in the projectAttain a measure of food sustainability 50 students were allotted various seeds or plants including carrots, radish, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, beets, cilantro, onions and celery. Students received training on how to plant and care for the seeds or transplants. Following training the seeds or transplants were planted either in plots at home or in containers. A demonstration plot … Continue reading Tierra Colorada Garden Project 2021 |
Agricultural Cooperative Women’s Project Agricultural Value Chain Development project that supports women in rural areas to participate in an agricultural cooperative through the production of vegetable seedlings for members of the cooperative and possibly value-added agricultural products for sale at local markets to generate income and improve the living conditions of their families. Project Objectives: To empower and improve standard of living of women To increase knowledge of agricultural production techniques To enhanced capacity in growing and processing vegetables and other crops Partners include: … Continue reading Agricultural Cooperative Women’s Project |
Tierra Colorada School Guatemala: Tierra Colorada School Project Since 2006 in Tierra Colorada, GuatemalaPartnerships: Tierra Colorada School In 2006, Sombrilla started supporting a primary school in order to improve access to quality early childhood education in the rural community of Tierra Colorada Baja in Guatemala. In 2011, we made an agreement with the Government of Guatemala to fund the grade 9 students while they continued supporting grades 7 and 8 in Secondary School. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, we provided relief to the community … Continue reading Tierra Colorada School |
OCDIH Project Improving food security for small-scale farmers in rural areas of western Honduras The long-term goal of the project is to improve food security of marginalized farmers and their families in six communities, municipality of Nueva Arcadia, Province Copan, Honduras. The Project aims at reducing the effects of climate change on agricultural production through building of technical and production capacity of the farmers and implementation of sustainable production techniques. The partner organization will work with 120 families in the rural areas … Continue reading OCDIH Project |
ADIM Collaboration Guatemala: ADIM Collaboration Since 2001 in Nebaj and Chahul, Guatemala Partnership: ADIM (Asociaćion para el Desarollo Integral de Multiservicios) Sombrilla’s longest partnership is with ADIM, a registered NGO in Guatemala. Indigenous communities in northern Guatemala suffered through a thirty-year civil war that ended in the 1990s. Sombrilla was founded in 1987 in response to human rights abuses and population displacement that occurred as a result of the war. The primary goal of Sombrilla was to promote peace initiatives, and later … Continue reading ADIM Collaboration |