The emergence of the project
The idea for the Space for Cultural Expression arose spontaneously. The Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) had been working from the Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre (CCFI) in the process of planning future actions, at which time Professor Alberto Conejero, a member of the E’ñepa people, presented the educational project he had been developing for several years with the children and adolescents of his indigenous community.
Ricardo Treno, a volunteer humanitarian actor, explains: “During our meetings with Professor Alberto, we realized the urgent need for the young E’ñepa to learn about their own culture. No one better than someone from their own people to teach them about their worldview, language, traditions and customs and create a bridge to Spanish and Portuguese.
Understanding this need, the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) saw the opportunity to offer a better structured space with more extensive support, taking advantage of the experience of the Education Intervention Sector in Situations of Humanitarian Responses and Emergencies. Ricardo adds:
“We realized that we could offer a more solid context and greater support through our Education in Situations of Humanitarian Responses and Emergencies Sector, thus benefiting the children and Professor Alberto’s project.”
In this way, the Cultural Expression Space was established as a place where indigenous knowledge and values could be preserved and passed on effectively to new generations, even in the midst of emergency situations. Thus, the Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre (CCFI) began to integrate indigenous instructors, trainers and facilitators to share knowledge with the affected community.
For some years now, Professor Alberto has been working with the children and adolescents of the E’ñepa community in the shelters: “This began on my own initiative, seeing the educational needs of these children,” he said.
This is how this space began to form, where the ancestral knowledge of the E’ñepa culture can be passed on to new generations and where, in addition, indigenous children and adolescents can receive the necessary training to enter the formal education system without so many difficulties.
To achieve this goal of integration through informal education, the linguistic content is presented simply and in three languages, E’ñepa, Spanish and Portuguese, aligned with other areas of knowledge such as mathematics, social studies, nature and history. The pedagogy focuses on culture, transforming the classroom into a space for cultural expression, mental health and connection with nature.
Professor Alberto firmly believes in the impact of the project and hopes that this initiative will thrive. When he lived in Venezuela, his country of origin, he had the opportunity to work in the field of education with children from different indigenous peoples, and now all that experience is at the service of developing this project.
For him, the most important sign is that the children are motivated and want to continue learning. He also said that the support of the families is fundamental and that’s why he tries to actively integrate them into the process.
A space for inclusion
The Cultural Expression Space made it possible to include a group that didn’t usually take part in more technical courses at the CCFI. The Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) had already worked with the E’ñepa group in intercultural meetings and handicraft workshops, but this project represented a victory by integrating children who still didn’t speak Spanish and had to learn Portuguese in addition to their own original language. Ricardo Treno highlights:
“The presence of Professor Alberto was fundamental, as his knowledge of the original context allowed us to connect the children to their cultural roots.
This project has given the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) the opportunity to work with a particularly vulnerable group, working to mitigate the loss of values and traditions in a context of humanitarian crisis.
Impact and prospects
Sarah, a volunteer humanitarian actor with the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), highlighted the significant impact of the project:
“The children showed a great willingness to learn and adapt to the new reality. They arrived here with a lot of joy and a desire to follow all the steps that an integral education teacher was teaching them.”
As this is an unprecedented project, the possibilities can be expanded to include the families of the participating children and even other indigenous peoples, creating a welcoming space where parents can also participate. In this way, the aim is to strengthen the work with the E’ñepa, Warao and indigenous culture in general, promoting a deeper involvement with the traditions and knowledge of these peoples.
The first steps in this direction have already begun, as the receptivity of the families has been very positive, bringing hope for a better future in the new socio-cultural environment:
“Parents have started to get involved, recognizing the importance of education in a country where school attendance is compulsory. This paradigm shift was evident in the parents’ joy at seeing their children’s progress.”
Looking to the future:
The Space for Cultural Expression project has not only benefited the indigenous children, but has also been an opportunity for growth for the volunteers of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM). Although it currently only serves a small number of children, the goal is to make a significant difference in their lives, in the hope of expanding the project’s reach to other groups and peoples in the future.
This innovative work continues with the aim of building a solid foundation for the preservation and transmission of indigenous cultural values in a context of humanitarian crisis, ensuring that these young people keep their cultural heritage alive while adapting to the new reality.
