Senegal & Italy: Guede Chantier is the Senegalese ecovillage who twinned with the Italian ecovillage Damanhur, and their collaboration brought beautiful results for several communities in Senegal as well for community members of Damanhur. Thanks to the fundraising done in Damanhur and the willingness and cooperation within REDES, 1400 fruit trees were planted, and more than 100 women from 15 villages were trained in food transformation. This has brought a tangible positive change in the community’s economy and health, which can be felt particularly during the warmer seasons when very few crops can be grown. These villages now have strategies to face the more challenging seasons, all while addressing socio-environmental issues such as desertification and immigration.
Quotes from people involved:
“It was a great exchange between the communities, it moved the North and the South closer.”
“We were coming from different cultures and learning from each other. We took common action to face the challenges of climate change.”
For years there has been the practice of “twinning” within GEN, where ecovillages, eco-projects, and ecovillage networks form special friendships and support each other. Over time, these friendships solidify and evolve into mutually beneficial relationships. We now have wonderful examples of twinning relationships in GEN and are excited to streamline the twinning so more projects are able to find and support each other.
GEN is now supporting twinning relationships in a more systematic way, as a ‘dating agency’. When possible, we try to provide modest funds to support collaborative projects. Know more in the Twinning page.
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By becoming a Friend of GEN you will receive exclusive benefits to bring you closer to GEN’s work on the ground and connect with communities worldwide. Friends of GEN sustain the work of the Global Ecovillage Network through creating a grassroots community of supporters for ecovillage solutions and collaboration. Learn about the levels of giving below and find the one that is right for you.
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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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