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Picture This!
 Calling all CCA volunteers!

Children in Uganda Picture This thumb  

 

Do you have an amazing photo or three of your time volunteering for CCA?  If so, we want to see them!  We are searching for photos for our 2014 calendar and would love your's to be in there.  

 

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Quick 10
A WW1 and WW2 re-enactor from Niagara who recently returned from Peru.
Read about David and his experience volunteering with CCA.
CDF Journey out of Poverty
yCDF journey out of Poverty Cambodia
Take a look at this photo journey of the CDF Cambodia Study Tour.  Six Canadian credit union CEO's visited CDF funded co-ops to see firsthand the difference being made. 

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Volume 7 number 6, June 5, 2013
World Environment Day 2013
Waste and garbage.  Not usually the most exciting of topics but in this issue of Dispatch it is!  As we celebrate World Environment Day we profile David Smith who has 
just returned from a two week volunteer posting to Huancahuasi, Peru.  David set about creating a plan to enable the citizens of this small community to become agents of change in regards to their waste issues and become even prouder of their beautiful environment. Read his story below and check out the World Environment Day website to see how you can take action too.
David Smith and HuancahuasiDavid Smith on local transport        :   A birds-eye view of Hunacahuasi
Not a WASTE of time
How a CCA volunteer's plan for less became more

What do you do with waste when you are at an elevation of 3305m, surrounded by high mountains and very little land suitable for landfills?  This challenge intrigued Niagara's David Smith and led him to a CCA volunteer waste management specialist position in Huancahuasi, Peru.   Having backpacked around Peru some 26 years ago David had fond memories of the highland areas and rural communities, so as a waste management engineer he saw this volunteer assignment with CCA and was hooked.

 

David's mission was to help the Atahualpa Co-operative (based in Huancahuasi, central west Peru) and their community develop a workable waste management plan to address the environmental challenges faced by the community.  With waste being dumped by or in the river or burned, David's expertise was put to good use.  "I recognized the importance of a waste management plan. The goals of the plan included meeting the community's current and future waste management needs, protecting the community's natural environment, and creating a clean and healthy physical environment for the community."    

 

The Atahualpa Co-op is an innovative business enterprise, maximizing the region's tourism potential through baths built in the Fujimori era as well as promoting eco-tourism. The co-op recognized that the waste management plan would also be important for tourism and the economic development of the community.

 

David, with CCA intern Gwen Temmel, worked with the CCA project team, the co-op, and other community stakeholders to prepare a waste management plan for Huancahuasi.  "The objective was to develop a 'Made in Huancahuasi' waste management plan that would be sustainable and could be implemented by the community," says David, "It was interesting working with the community and the stakeholders and getting their support for the plan."   The plan included recommendations for setting up drums in designated locations for recycling plastic bottles and metal cans, residual waste and installing road signage reminding travelers to keep their garbage and dispose of it in the community drums. The plan also included an environmental training and sensitization program.

 

So what's next for the Atahualpa Co-op and David Smith?  It's back to Canada and work for David and keeping in contact with CCA to monitor the progress of the co-op and community in Peru.   While the co-op has a lot of work ahead of them implementing their plan and encouraging behavioral change of the villagers they will continue to receive support from CCA.  While it may be some time before we see the impact of this plan on the environment and tourism in the area, the Atahualpa Co-op with the help of David and CCA has proven that less is definitely more as they step up to this challenge.

 

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This publication is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through theCanadian International Development Agency (CIDA).  
Cette publication est r�alis�e avec l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada accord� par l'entremise de l'Agence canadienne de développement international (ACDI).