EMERGENCY HURRICANE RELIEF IN NICARAGUA AND HONDURAS

In early November 2020, Hurricane Eta - a devastating Category 4 hurricane - wreaked havoc across many parts of Central America. Just 13 days later an even more destructive category 5 hurricane, IOTA, is said to be the strongest hurricane to hit the region.
Many of our tribal friends in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica were affected by the hurricanes causing landslides, floods as well as the destruction of corn and beans crops (their staple foods), and several homes with casualties both children and adults.
Our main goal was to provide nutritional support to as many families as possible, by networking and fundraising to purchase relief supplies and deliver them to those who need them most. For this, we worked directly with indigenous coops and NGOs which are in the areas providing support to the affected families.

PANDEMIC RELIEF AFTER TRIBAL GATHERING

On March 10th the first case of Corona Virus arrived in Panama. On March 12th, with 5 days left of our event the government sent authorities to shut the event down due to the pandemic outbreak. As a temporary site we were only equipped with staffing until the 17th of March. As a result of the lock down Geoparadise needed to take on additional staff, as well as costs for cleaning supplies, food, water etc to provide basic necessities to up to 300 attendees that were not able to leave the location due to the lockdown measure and cancelled international flights.

In addition to this we also had to provide support to the international guests ,artists and crew that we brought to the event to volunteer and share their culture with us. The airport in Panama closed on March 21st as well as nationwide and strict curfews and no-travel laws. Geoparadise provided ongoing support, a place to sleep and food to their volunteers that were stranded in the country.

GLASSES DONATIONS AT TRIBAL GATHERING

This is an ongoing project from October 2014, this year 920 pairs of second-hand and new reading glasses and sunglasses, donated to GeoParadise by Tree Gilroy from the UK, were received in March 2020.

During Tribal Gathering 2020 over 707 pairs were distributed amongst the event indigenous guests from all over the world to bring back to their communities. Also the local workers and vendors from the low-income communities of the Santa Isabel district that surrounds the event were able to also partake.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2020

Tribal Gathering 8th edition took place from 28th of February until the 15th of March 2020. There was aproximately 2200 participants in attendance and we invited about 50 tribes from more than 40 countries around the globe encouraging them to share, learn and connect during 10 days of Indigenous Immersive, which is then followed by 6 days of Dance Celebration of world fusion and electronic music.

The gathering happens on a tropical jungle beach on the Caribbean coast of Panama without any infrastructure where just for the gathering a small village is built that incorporates the natural surroundings to create a sustainable place for intercultural exchange between tribes and attendees from all over the world.

FUNDING FOR MATAGALPA WOMENS COFFEE COOP IN NICARAGUA

The Cooperativa Agropecuaria de Servicios Tonanzintlalli R.L is an organization created by 22 indigenous Matagalpa women, which is located in La Laguna community, in San Ramon, Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

In June of 2019 Geoparadise donated $1000usd to the cooperative to help them purchase the building that their organization works from. They were looking to urgently raise funds to make a downpayment for a preliminary offer and sign a purchase sale document for the acquisition of the building.

The project benefited 22 indigenous women and their families and targeted basic needs of low income and disadvantaged communities, ensuring they will be able to work with peace of mind and provinding them jobs security.

UNDER 12´S FOOTBALL IN SANTA ISABEL

We are creating a Football (Soccer) League in the remote district where Tribal Gathering is hosted, to promote fitness, instill healthy habits, nutrition, and unite youth members of community of District Santa Isabel, Panama. During April and May 2019 we hosted serveral training sessions, practice matches and finally a tournament between the 9 schools of the district.

DONATIONS TO THE SCHOOL IN EL PROGRESO

In May 2019 we donated a propane tank and 60 liters of Orange Juice (rich in vitamin C) to support the nutrition of the 15 kids attending this small remote school.

LIVESTOCK BREEDING PROGRAM DONATIONS

This ongoing project has been providing piglets for donation to different low income communities since 2015; in the island indigenous region of Kuna Yala in the early years and lately to the local area of Santa Isabel district in the Colon province (Panama), including the neighboring Embera indigenous village of El progreso, diversifying the access to protein and improving their nutrition.
We donated breeding couples so the communities can continue the project themselves. During this year we donated a couple of breeding piglets to low income families of El Progreso and 2 adult pigs were also donated to feed the kids and their families during the Soccer League Finals in May 2019.

LAPTOP DONATION TO EL PROGRESO SCHOOL

In March 2019 we donated a second hand laptop computer to El Progreso school, to support the children´s education in this little remote indigenous village. The laptop was donated to GeoParadise by Ecosurety, a B-corp certified company from the UK, and we greatly appreciate their contribution!

GLASSES FOR TG TRIBES AND LOCALS

During Tribal Gathering, in February 2019, we had 656 pairs of reading glasses and sunglasses distributed amongst the event indigenous guests from all over the world to bring back to their communities and also to the local workers and vendors from the low income communities of Santa Isabel district.
In May of 2019, the 274 remaining pairs of glasses were distributed in the local villages of Santa Isabel, Palmira, El Progreso, Playa Chiquita, Cuango, Miramar and Palenque.

DONATIONS FOR OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES

At the end of 2018 we did another clothing donation drive in the UK and this time, aside from many more clothes, we managed to collect also other household items like toys, tools and utensils.
Over 15 boxes of clothing items were collected such as shoes, jackets, pants, and baby items. Geoparadise coordinated with its sister company Wavy Tribe in Panama to ship the donated materials from the UK to Panama with an existing supply shipment for Tribal Gathering to save on the carbon imprint and cost of the donations reached us via sea freight.
The donations were distributed by six (6) volunteers in the neighboring village of Cuango during Tribal Gathering in February 2019 to inhabitants of the different villages in the district of Santa Isabel who came to Cuango to participate.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2019

Tribal Gathering 7th edition took place from 15th of February until the 4th of March 2020. There was around 2300 participants. We invited about 60 tribes from more than 30 countries around the globe encouraging them to share, learn and connect during 13 days of Indigenous Immersive, which is then followed by 5 days of Dance Celebration of world fusion and electronic music.

Tribal Gathering is a place where the world comes together; it is a place where indigenous communities from around the world can meet and exchange with their native brothers and sisters.

BORUCA COTTON - PHASE 2

The cotton has been harvested and the women's collective has begun to use their traditional methods to spin and dye the cotton. Classes have started for locals and foreigners to teach about the process of traditional dyeing and weaving.
This project goes in line with our goal of providing basic necessities to a disadvantage community and is benefitting directly 15 women and their families and indirectly the whole community of Boruca providing a way for local craftsmen to purchase materials locally saving in travel costs to go to the cities It also supports our goal of preserving arts and culture as they are now teaching the traditional weaving methods to others.

SUSTAINABLE CLEAN WATER SUPPLY

With the help of our student volunteers from Delf University (Netherlands), Geoparadise has built a rainwater collection system for the village of El Progreso.

DRUMS FOR PROJECT INEBESEI

We are excited to support Project Inebezi, a musical endeavor focused on continuing the cultural practices of the Garifuna people of Belize as well as a multi-year performer at our annual Tribal Gathering fundraiser, with the purchase of their traditional handmade drums.

SANITATION WORKSHOP EL PROGRESO

Collaborating with students from Delf University, Geoparadise provided workshops to the local community focused on Sanitation and Water Filtration.

MATTRESSES DONATION EL PROGRESO

To improve quality of life in the village of El Progreso, Geoparadise utilized donations from the annual Tribal Gathering fundraiser to purchase new mattresses for the entire community!

FUN & PLAY DAY IN EL PROGRESO

Our volunteers led the local children of El Progreso in a day of recreation, team building games, and fun!

CLOTHES DONATION TO EL PROGRESO

Our Geoparadise on site crew was able to set up a community out reach event to get the clothing to the lovely folks in the local village "El Progreso". We are hoping to set up another clothing / school supply drive coming in the winter.

ROOF REPLACEMENT EL PROGRESO

Our crew were able to help Primary school El Progreso with replacement of old dangerous "Asbesto" roof with new harmless cement based roof sheets.

SUPPORTING KALLPAY WARMI FESTIVAL 2018

Geoparadise contributed with financial donation to production of indigenous runned festival Kallpay Warmi in Peru. We are going to continue cooperation for future editions of this incredible event.

BORUCA COTTON PHASE 1

Donation from Geoparadise Charitable Fund helped to replant 300 cotton plants and supported the community in their pursuit in recapturing a dying art.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2018

For this sixth edition of Tribal Gathering, we invited more than sixty-two (62) tribes from around the world, and almost 1,800 participants attended. The gathering was held on a paradise beach front location, on the Caribbean coast of Panama.

SCHOOL RENOVATION EL PROGRESO

Our Geoparadise crew and volunteers were able to help with painting and renovations at primary school "El Progreso".

PLASTIC COLLECTION PANAMA

Big thanks to volunteers from Argentina and to members of local community to support us on 2017 beach plastic collection at District Santa Isabel, Panama

DONATIONS TO EMBERÁ TRIBE

GeoParadise requested different types of donations for the 80 members of the tribe. For 2018, the tribe has requested the means to finish their homes with the proper construction tools, materials, and mattresses.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2017

For this fifth edition of Tribal Gathering, we invited more than sixty (60) tribes from around the world, and almost 1,500 participants attended. The gathering was held on a paradise beach front location, on the Caribbean coast of Panama.

GLASSES DONATION

Each year glasses are collected and donated to one of the six main indigenous populations in Panama, the Kuna (Guna), who live on their own, self-sustaining reservation called the Kuna (Guna) Yala. 168 pairs of glasses have been donated to Armilla. 70 pairs of glasses have been donated to Cuba, Kuna Yala. 40 pairs of glasses have been donated to Nusatupu, Kuna Yala.

PIGLETS DONATION

4 piglets have been donated to Goetupu and Nusatapu, Kuna Yala. 4 piglets have been donated to 4 families in the Progreso area, an indigenous Emberá community in Colon, Panama. 4 piglets have been donated to 4 families in the Palenque area, a small, local town, near the Tribal Gathering site.

HOUSING FOR INDIGENOUS BORUCA FAMILY AT SOCIAL RISK

GeoParadise worked with the SoCagrû association, to assist a family from the Boruca tribe in Costa Rica. A small house is being built to a family at social risk to have more space and better living conditions.

CELEBRATION OF THE KIDS DAY

For “Kids Day” in Palenque, Colon, in Panama, GeoParadise invited all children of the area to share a feast and celebrate the day. Around 100 kids were present for the celebration and sharing of food, and the left-over food was given to the mothers of the community.

DONATION OF PIGLETS TO GUNA YALA

GeoParadise donated 4 breeding pairs of piglets to a community in the eastern part of Comarca, on the Kuna (Guna) Yala archipelago. This was part of our animal breeding project.

NGÄBE SCHOOL VOLLEY BALL COURT

GeoParadise, in conjunction with the community, provided funds, materials, and labor, and assisted in the construction of a volleyball court in a small Ngäbe community in the province of Bocas del Toro in Panama. The purpose of this project was to facilitate social interactions and encourage an active lifestyle within the community.

COMPUTER DONATION TO NGÄBE ASSOCIATION

GeoParadise donated a computer to an organic chocolate association of the Ngäbe tribe of Rio Oeste in Panama, to facilitate the promotion and organization of tours of their chocolate farms, which is a large portion of the income of their village.

EMBERÁ CHAMI BEADS PROJECT

GeoParadise placed an order of 650 Kg chaquira beads (special beads to make artisan jewelry) to provide the opportunity for the community to create more crafts. Thanks to this order, the Emberá-Chami were able to create enough craft items to participate in the big craft fair that took place in Bogota, Colombia in December 2015.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2016

For the fourth edition of Tribal Gathering, GeoParadise invited more than twenty tribes from around the world, with almost 1,000 participants present. The gathering was held on a paradise beach front location, on the Caribbean coast of Panama.

II INTERTRIBAL SYMPOSIUM GUATEMALA

In 2015, the second inter-tribal symposium took place in Guatemala. GeoParadise helped to gather members of six different Guatemalan tribes to come together for a conference. The objective of the symposium was to offer an opportunity to share amongst them their artistic creativity, tribal and environmental issues, as well as share their experiences as different tribes in the same country.

WIXARICA: WATER PROJECT

GeoParadise donated a pump and accessories to help the Wixarica tribe in Mexico to be able to pump water to their homes, instead of having to walk a long distance to collect it. The water system benefited 150 homes and provided water to 400 people in the community.

GUNA: DONATION OF GLASSES

In September 2015, GeoParadise donated 303 glasses to the Foundation of Luz y Fortaleza Indígena, a Kuna-based foundation, which was responsible for giving the glasses to the elders of the indigenous region of Kuna (Guna) Yala.

KAMAYURA COMMUNITY MEETING HALL / VISITORS CENTER

Geoparadise, along with the community, helped to build a community space to hold ceremonies, rituals, meetings, and festivals for 700 people of the Kamayura tribe in the amazons of Brazil.

BORUCA ART SUPPLY COOP

GeoParadise, in conjunction with the Boruca community, facilitated the creation of an art supply store in the Talamanca Mountains in Costa Rica. This supply store allows the community of the Bocura to save time and also money, making the crafts more profitable and improving their livelihood.

INDIGENOUS CULTURAL IDENTITY WORKSHOP

GeoParadise funded a one-day workshop on cultural identity in the indigenous village of the Boruca, in Costa Rica. The purpose of this workshop was to help youth and tribes understand the importance of maintaining their cultural identity.

INDIGENOUS FORUM @ UNITED NATIONS

GeoParadise provided transportation to two women from indigenous communities of Costa Rica and Panama, to participate in the United Nations Indigenous Forum, in New York City. The forum gave the women an opportunity to talk about their respective communities and the challenges they were facing in this modernizing world.

SHIPIBO DONATION OF ART MATERIALS

To support the efforts of a Shipibo art teacher in Peru, GeoParadise provided the necessary materials for art classes, to assist in developing the artistic talents of young people from different low-income communities.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2015

For the third edition of the Tribal Gathering, GeoParadise invited twenty tribes from around the world, with more than 800 participants in attendance. The gathering was held on a paradise beach front location, on the Caribbean coast of Panama.

MAYAN HERB GARDEN

To assist the Mayan community in Guatemala to expand its herb plantation, GeoParadise provided the funds needed to build an herb-drying shed. The project helped many women in the community, who use herbs to dye clothing for community members, as well as clothing to sell to tourists. The herbs were also used for traditional medicines and ceremonies.

GRANT TO FUNDACIÓN LUZ Y FORTALEZA INDÍGENA

To help one of our partner indigenous organizations register formally with the Department of Social Development of Panama, GeoParadise provided the organization with the necessary funds to pay for paperwork.

DONATIONS IN GUNA YALA

When GeoParadise visited the eastern part of Comarca, on the Kuna (Guna) Yala archipelago, it donated to the community, two breeding pairs of pigs (4 piglets), 40 pairs of glasses for the elderly, and various office supplies for the administrative center of the island.

WOUNAAN COMMUNITY CONVENIENCE STORE

GeoParadise provided an over stock of inventory to a small community convenience store in a village of the Darien, home to the Wounaan and Emberá communities. The remoteness of the village caused its members to walk 2 to 4 days to buy products of daily needs for the community.

DONATION TO JUNTA COMUNAL OF PALENQUE

GeoParadise donated a laptop, from a Tribal Gathering attendee, to the board of directors of the local junta communal (community group of leaders) of Palenque, the small local village near the site of the gathering in Panama, to help with their administrative tasks. Rice, beans, and vegetables were also donated to the board to share with the community.

INTERTRIBAL SYMPOSIUM USTUPU - GUNA YALA

In 2014, the first inter-tribal symposium was organized by GeoParadise and various indigenous communities. The symposium was held in the Kuna (Guna) Yala, with the aim of offering the different tribes the opportunity to share their artistic creativity, via different workshops, presentations, and traditional ceremonies and celebrations.

DONATION SOLAR PANEL AND LED LIGHTS

Through the Foundation of Luz y Fortaleza Indigena, a Kuna-based foundation, GeoParadise provided a solar panel and an energy efficient lighting system to a community meeting place on the island of Ustupu, Kuna (Guna) Yala.

DONATION OF PIGLETS TO KUNA YALA

As a continued effort to improve the health, nutrition, and protein intake in the local indigenous communities of Panama, GeoParadise donated more piglets to the community of Usdup, Kuna (Guna) Yala.

DONATION OF UNIFORMS FOR SCHOOL PARADE

Through the Foundation of Luz y Fortaleza Indigena, a Kuna-based foundation, GeoParadise provided funding to the school in Tupile, Kuna (Guna) Yala, to purchase traditional parade uniforms for the students.

DONATION AND DELIVERY OF READING GLASSES

GeoParadise financed the delivery of 100 reading glasses to the community of Mulatupu, in the Kuna (Guna) Yala. On top of that 100, 190 used reading glasses, collected in the UK, were also donated.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2014

Tribal Gathering 2014 attracted approximately 650 participants, including guests, artists, tribes, and attendees. GeoParadise invited and financed the travel expenses of 55 tribal participants from nine different indigenous communities from the countries of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru and Panama. The gathering took place in the Panamanian jungle.

ART CLASSES IN BORUCA

GeoParadise facilitated the transport of a Shipibo-Conibo visual artist and art teacher from Peru, to the artisan community of the Boruca, in Costa Rica, to teach a series of art classes. These courses were requested by the Boruca association after Tribal Gathering 2014, due to inspiration from meeting the Peru Shipibo artists at the gathering.

CHOCOLATE PROCESSING IN GUNA YALA

GeoParadise provided transportation for three expert chocolatiers from Rio Oeste Arriba, a small Ngäbe community, to the Kuna (Guna) Yala Islands, for hands-on lessons on how to grow and process raw and organic chocolate from local cocoa trees. The Kunas wanted to know why their traditional cacao trees were becoming diseased. They were also interested in learning how to process chocolate for commercial purposes, along with the ceremonial and home use, especially in islands with no tourism.

DONATION OF EQUIPMENT FOR COMMUNITY CENTER

GeoParadise donated and delivered of office equipment and sound equipment for a community center on Usdup Island, Kuna (Guna) Yala, Panama. This indirectly benefited the 3,000 inhabitants of the island through bettering the quality of the meetings held at the community center.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM

Choosing to help other non-profits, GeoParadise donated funds ($700) to Project Nuevo Mundo's IndieGoGo campaign to help cover the travel costs of their Earth Odyssey project.

CHICKEN RUN

GeoParadise donated and transported 100 baby chicks and 100 pounds of chicken feed to Mandiyala, an indigenous village in the rainforest of Kuna (Guna) Yala, Panama.

NGOBE SCHOOL FOOTPATH

The Ngäbe, a Panamanian Tribe, from the community Rio Oeste Arriba, joined Geoparadise’s Tribal Gathering 2013 to demonstrate their ancient culture of chocolate making from their organically grown cocoa beans. Since then, GeoParadise has worked with them on many projects, with one being to facilitate the building of a sidewalk for school kids so they didn’t have to constantly walk in the mud on their way to school.

AGRICULTURAL TOOLS DONATION

GeoParadise donated to the Kuna (Guna), 12 rubber boots, 12 machetes, and 17 sharpening tools, to a group of farm workers, for a communal agricultural project.

FRESH WATER FOR NALUNEGA

GeoParadise filmed and produced a short video to raise awareness about the water issues in Nalunega and 3 other neighbor islands in Kuna Yala. Access to freshwater in this community is limited and collected mainly from rainwater. An ongoing campaign to raise funds was launched with the aim to purchase and install a desalination plant.

TRIBAL GATHERING 2013

Launching Tribal Gathering, GeoParadise invited nine tribes from the Americas, with more than 500 participants in attendance. The gathering took place for a week in Churuquita Grande, Penonome, at a rural hostel on the river bank.