Institutional strengthening of FOIRN and affiliated associations

This line of activities lends support to FOIRN and its affiliated local associations to strengthen their institutional capacities and their effectiveness in developing community projects. It entails an array of advisory activities through legal, anthropological, agroforestry, administrative, and other types of consultation. Members of indigenous organizations are trained in how to plan and manage community projects, taking into consideration both direct and indirect administrative costs so that, when they seek funding or develop economic projects, they will consider all the costs involved, thereby ensuring their viability. They also receive training in how to write proposals and descriptive reports, as well as in accounting and secretarial activities in order to improve the flow of information among all parties directly involved in the projects and the support organizations.

These activities also give priority to identifying and developing new pilot projects for the sustainable management of native natural resources, undertaken by families and communities in direct partnership with the local associations affiliated with FOIRN. The emphasis here is placed on initiatives that enhance community well-being, generate income, increase food security, and affirm the value of indigenous culture and agrobiodiversity. One such initiative is “Baniwa Art,” a project developed through a partnership between ISA and the Içana Watershed Indigenous Organization (OIBI), which involves the sustainable production and national commercialization of basketry.