Agroecological Output "Nina Huasi"

Nina Huasi, belongs to the María Amor House Foundation. It is a shelter for women victims of violence who flee with their sons and daughters because their lives are in danger. This space offers them protection, tranquility, harmony and contributes to their personal healing processes.

One of the activities that takes place in the house/shelter is agroecological output. This solution proposes the strengthening of the output that exists within the house/shelter in order to meet their food needs, and also the women who are in external monitoring (those who have already left the shelter, but that they continue with their recovery process and due to the pandemic, they have been left without work). 

And finally to provide products to the enterprise related to the preparation and sale of food that the foundation also owns.

• There are not enough resources to expand the vegetable garden output: supplies, tools.
• At the moment there is a greenhouse that must receive maintenance and replacement of materials, and the implementation of a second greenhouse is also necessary to alternate planting and cultivation.
• There is no adequate infrastructure for raising minor animals such as: guinea pigs, Creole chickens.
• The expansion of production requires an increase in the production of compost and violas.
• Everything detailed needs the accompaniment and training of professionals in agroecology.
• It is necessary to promote a responsible cultivation and the consumption of healthy food.

Nina Huasi's concept is agroecological. Eco-friendly materials were used for its construction: bahareque, superadobe and bambu. It has some systems for treating gray water: biofilters, dry toilets and compost heaters to produce humus, and it also has solar panel systems to generate electric light and water heating.

The garden currently has 80 m2 of agroecological output. The principles of permaculture are considered. The garden constitutes a learning space and a healthy practice of cultivation and healing where ancestral knowledge, care of nature without chemicals, and the advantages of healthy eating are valued. The expansion of agricultural out and the implementation of livestock production are proposed.

During their stay, in addition to training in agro-ecological production, women learn to improve their quality of food with products that they themselves planted and harvested. Women who leave the fostering space, with acquired knowledge, can implement their own gardens.

In addition, those women who have graduated and who are still linked to the house by their legal processes, psychologists, and childcare, can receive an incentive according to hours of participation and work in the garden, as well as food for their families, helping to improve their economy

The beneficiaries are survivors of violence. Some of them come with their families who are sheltered in the house, but aslo those who are in processes of autonomy in external monitoring and those who work in the undertaking of sale and preparation of food.

Working in agroecology supports their process of healing and recovering their self-esteem. It allows women to recognize themselves as full human beings, encouraging group work because they, their sons and daughters and the technical team of the house participate in it. This program help them to build confidence, and fosters their abilities and skills.

If there is an income, it contributes to the improvement of their economic autonomy.

It contributes to the maintenance of the house because the purchase of products is no longer an expense.

The consumption of agroecological products is contributing to a better diet, therefore a healthier life.

This solution improves the diet of people who are in foster care and families who are in transitional spaces.
It reduces the expenses that are invested in food purchases.
It builds capacities in women, so that in the future they can start alone.
It provides products for the business of preparing and selling food, which would also generates income and contributes to their economic autonomy.
The gardening work is part of their healing therapy.
It allows to rescue the ancestral knowledge that is used within agroecological output.

The agroecological output of the vegetable garden contributes to the economic sustainability of the entire House, that is, it reduces the need for financing to cover food costs.

In addition, by establishing itself as a provider of productive entrepreneurship, food preparation and sale, it is contributing to increasing the income of the women who work there, therefore improving their economic autonomy.

Agroecology, seeks production that is respectful to nature's finite resources. It considers food sovereignty, that is, healthy production without chemicals or pesticides, valuing ancestral knowledge of crops and the use of products that allows us to rescue cultural aspects of our society , as well as the recognition of women as custodians of this intangible heritage.

It is a more creative and enjoyable way to overcome violence trauma healing processes. It promotes a healthy contact with the earth, tranquility, and sorority work among women. It also contributes to reduce recovery time.

The solution uses ancestral knowledge of cultivation. It promotes the use of Andean products such as: oca, melloco, jicama, quinoa, white carrot, among others, as well as seeds that are native to the locality and the country.

It involves the implementation of eco-friendly technology with nature, such as sprinkler or drip irrigation systems; the use of yunta for land removal, production and use of compost.

A system called life cycle is managed, which involves:
1. Waste management: where we separate organic waste from the kitchen, recycling products: bottles, jars, covers and garbage separation that can no longer be reused.
2. Compost production: organic waste from kitchen and green areas together with waste from dry toilets, cardboard, reused paper and waste from animals (dogs and horses) deposited in compost and produces a mixture of compost and vermiculture as they are also earthworms present in this process.
3. Healthy production: in an average of 6 months, compost is obtained to improve soils for organic agricultural production in greenhouses and open areas, without the use of chemical fertilizers, only bioles and natural organic restoratives.
4. The products are used for consumption by foster family groups, with whom we are internalizing the importance of a healthy and nutritious diet.
5. Products are delivered to families in temporary departments.
6. The products are delivered to the business of preparing and selling food.

In the province there are several organizations, especially in the rural sector, that use agroecology as an alternative for healthy production, among these we can mention the Red Agroecológica del Austro 

https://www.elcomercio.com/ten...

The main components of this solution are:

The objective of this solution is to strengthen Nina Huasi agroecological production.

Provide the required implements to expand agroecological production.
            Acquisition of tools.
            Acquisition of seeds
            Elaboration of Bioles
            Purchase of minor animals
            Minor animal infrastructure.
            Risk System

Strengthen the capacities of women in charge of cultivation.
            Hire a professional specialized in agroecology.
            Implements for training
            Curricular mesh containing: Ancestral practices, agroecology practices, technical aspects.

Achieve that women victims of violence improve their self-esteem and autonomy.
Hire a professional with training in Gender and Violence against women.
Develop curricular meshes on gender and human rights.
Project Coordination

Develop health protocols that ensure women's health within the framework of the COVID 19 Pandemic.
                Acquisition of supplies.

The foster capacity is 12 average family groups per month,
85 women in the year
425 women in 5 years.

In external follow-up 10 average women per month,
10 in the year
50 in 5 years.

Entrepreneurship 5 women
60 in the year
300 in the year

This solution could be replicated in other shelters in other cities in the country.

Moreover, the Gender Department of the Municipality of Cuenca,  generates projects for women that contribute to improving their living conditions, women victims of violence is an important group. However, we consider that this practice can be implemented in other sectors of the county with other populations, for example rural women, since they are also closely linked to agro-ecological output.

Currently there are many ventures of this type that need strengthening. Cuenca has 21 rural local communities, which implies that there is a wide field of action to replicate this solution.

Not having sufficient economic resources to strengthen agro-ecological production.

Another important barrier that women have is the issue of training, because although some may have knowledge about the cultivation and care of animals, they are not necessarily agro-ecological.

Women survivor of violence need to achieve emotional stability, otherwise any other type of training is unsuccessful
 
The lack of clean output value.

To manage resources by looking for different sources of financing  (this depends on the strengthening of production and training).

The Gender Department of the Municipality or Local Government, has a technical team that will provide technical assistance to the solution. However, it is necessary to hire professionals for each of the proposed components.

Nina Huasi, is a shelter that belongs to the Maria Amor House Foundation, where the women survivors of violence who are the beneficiaries of the project reside.

Solution Coordination: Social Technician, Gender Coordination official, who will work part-time on the solution. (This cost will be assumed by the Gender Department of the Municipality of Cuenca).

Nina Huasi Coordination and Training: Hired professional who will be in charge of coordinating the solution as well as the training process on gender, violence. Part time

Agricultural Engineer: A hired professional who will be in charge of training on agroecology, and will also provide technical assistance and support.

The Municipality of Cuenca, is the governing body of local public policy, therefore it works for the different population sectors of the county/city.

The Municipality has a specialized gender department, made up of a multidisciplinary team with training in gender and the conviction of the need to generate actions that benefit women. The Gender Department has developed projects with women victims of violence for several years.

Nina Huasi is an instance specialized in working with women survivors of violence, for 6 years.

All this allows us to achieve a good address and assistance for the proper functioning of the proposed solution.

At the urban level, we work in coordination with the "Cabildo por las Mujeres del Cantón Cuenca", a space that brings together feminist organizations that work on different issues that affect women. The María Amor House Foundation it part of this local body.

At the international level, we have a constant relationship with UN Women. We have worked and signed agreements with ECLAC, UNDP.

Nina Huasi, has a relationship with the Secretariat of Human Rights of the National Government, Prefecture of the Province, with the Municipality of Cuenca, with the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion.

Agroecological output provides healthy products, as part of the daily diet of women survivors of violence who are sheltered in Nina Huasi, at the temporary departments, and those preparing and selling food.

The products are grown by the same women who stay in the House. This activity is also part of the healing process that women require to improve their self-esteem, accept the condition in which they lived and overcome it.

The output is intended to cover the basic food needs of the women. These foods are also necessary because they come from a clean production that ensures the health of their consumers.

The Financial Sustainability of Nina Huasi is given by the contributions of several organizations that during the 6 years of operation of our institution have made its permanent operation possible.

We have obtained fixed contributions from state organizations such as the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion, Secretariat of Rights Humans, the Municipality of Cuenca, as well as specific contributions from different NGOs such as Caritas Feldkirch, Rotary Club, among others.

Another strategy is the management and application to offers from international entities to obtain resources that can be invested.

The Nina Huasi House receives and welcomes women survivors of violence, the same who arrive accompanied by their sons and daughters. They are women of limited resources, without family support networks, without jobs, emotionally affected, for whom their reinsertion in society is very complex.

The financing obtained is used to cover health, clothing, housing, education, and food needs, making it difficult to obtain financing to invest in expanding agro-ecological production.

For the above and also for all the benefits that agricultural production represents, it has been considered necessary to apply to the Solve donation.

The solution needs an investment that will allow it to cover the costs of the acquisition of supplies, tools and equipment for the garden, the payment of professionals who contribute to the training and education of women on self-care, a professional expert in the field of agroecology who provides assistance technique for proper cultivation and finally the supply of supplies and materials for use in the garden.

With organizations that can contribute with resources

With organizations that can provide technical assistance

With organizations that have volunteers who can teach better agroecological farming techniques.

With organizations that can donate materials, supplies, equipment.

The Gender Department of the Municipality of Cuenca would guarantee the proper management of funds. It has a gender-based multidisciplinary team that can provide the required technical assistance. Finally, the transfer of money will be made through an agreement with the Foundation.