Visolela Rosa Namises, a national leader, representative of GEN Africa and advocate for women’s rights has been initiating incredible work in Namibia. With the support of River of Life funds in 2020, Visolela was able to work with women from different communities to develop gardens for food security, nutrition and as a way to improve their livelihoods. She conducted 6 workshops and events in the past year, working in 6 villages and 3 schools, reaching over 850 people, including women, youth, … Read more
traditional communities
Emergence of the ‘River of Life’ in GEN Brief history
In April 2013, 25 African women joined a four week ‘By Women, For Women’ Ecovillage Design Education (EDE), held by Lua Bashala and Kosha Joubert at Umphakatsi Peace Ecovillage, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The women exchanged and learned about ecological, cultural, social and economic aspects of sustainable community living and designed small projects to increase the resilience of their neighbourhoods. On another level, a deep level of mutual trust was built amongst them as they shared stories … Read more
Requesting nominations for a core team to support Pan African Ecovillage Development Programme (PAEDP)
Way Forward: PAEDP Development and MoUs with African Governments Proposal for Creating a Core Team and Implementation Plan GEN & GEN Africa AdHoc Working Group Background/Introduction In the Light of the implementation of the Pan-African Ecovillage Development Programme (PAEDP) in Africa, GEN and GEN Africa have worked closely in bringing this concept to the UN Climate Summit Conferences (COPs) and many African countries. So far, 9 African governments have signed MoUs with GEN … Read more
Green Economy and Social Enterprise for Climate Resilient Communities A pilot project in Zambia
Rural communities in Zambia have been strongly affected by climate change and other issues such as deforestation, poverty and malnutrition. To tackle all of these issues, the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) developed a pioneer project adopting a systemic approach, integrating strong social and ecological aspects, but also the economic dimension. Green Economy and Social Enterprise for Climate Resilient Communities pilot project was implemented 2018-2020 in several rural communities in the … Read more
Our Annual Report 2019 is here! How the Global Ecovillage Network is catalysing communities for a regenerative world
What matters the most is that the lands are healthy, the water is pure, the wind is free from viruses, and the human beings are at peace with themselves. - Calixto Suarez, Chief Elders of Arhuaco People, Colombia It is with great satisfaction that we release the Global Ecovillage Network Annual Report 2019. Our staff, partners, and members are diverse, creative, and driven by passion and commitment. We strive to ensure our projects and programmes are engaging, impactful, and contextually … Read more
2019 Hildur Jackson Award winner: ReScope Programme, Africa African educational programme wins annual prize from the Global Ecovillage Network and Gaia Trust
The ReScope Programme in Africa is the winner of the 2019 Hildur Jackson Award for Extraordinary Project. The Hildur Jackson Award is a €3,000 annual prize that supports and honours projects around the world that demonstrate regenerative best-practices in all dimensions of sustainability. In the 2019 edition, 32 ecovillages and sustainable projects from all over the world applied to the Hildur Jackson Award. The prize is awarded to projects bringing the most impactful inspiration about … Read more
Our Annual Report 2018 is here! How the Global Ecovillage Network is responding to the state of Climate Emergency
We are proud to release the Global Ecovillage Network Annual Report 2018. Our staff, partners, and members are diverse, creative, and driven by passion and commitment. We strive to ensure our projects and programmes are engaging, impactful, and contextually relevant. When we reflect back on our accomplishments of 2018, we hope to ignite these qualities in our readers as well. Our annual report provides metrics, as we measure and track our progress and set new targets for the coming year. It … Read more
Finding Consensus Through Storytelling A Reflection from GEN's Talanoa Dialogue for the European Day of Sustainable Communities
A night of storytelling to share thoughts, knowledge and experiences related to climate change. The aim of the Talanoa Dialogue organised by the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and the Findhorn Foundation, held in coordination with the European Day of Sustainable Communities, was to build consensus and unfold the complexity of a global situation that requires absolute openness and cannot be avoided. As highlighted in a recent speech by the UN Secretary General António Guterres, when thinking … Read more
Guede Chantier, ecovillage principles in partnership Center of West African REDES ecovillage network practices sustainability in collaboration
A lot has taken place in and around the eco-community of Guede lately, including at least three partnership programmes made possible with the financial and technical support of Damanhur and coordinated with REDES (French acronym for Network for Ecovillage Emergence and Development in the Sahel). Some of the work includes planting an orchard with a women's association in Madina Fresbe village (a community of herders), training over a hundred women from 15 villages in food processing, and … Read more
Cloughjordan models sustainability Irish Showcase Ecovillage measures its climate impact in four dimensions of sustainability
Cloughjordan ecovillage measured its ecological footprint in 2014. The ecological footprint of the average ecovillager was found to be 2 gha (the "gha" or global hectare is a measurement unit for the ecological footprint of people or activities related to the biocapacity of the earth), compared to an average of 4.7 gha for the average Irish person. This gives evidence that the ecovillage is modeling the transition to a low-carbon society through developing its own unique ecosystem of innovation … Read more
