Kan Tan Educational Finca

30 years ago, environmental protection began in a property owned by a local indigenous in the territory of Boruca-Terraba. This committment began with reforestation and protection of water resources which are the largest provider of water to the community of Boruca.

Sustainable practices are carried out at Kan Tan, including the construction of Boruca's traditional housing, technique almost extinct until the year of 2002 when it became a priority to the organization to maintain this ancestral knowledge and pass it on to the new generation

Several projects are carried out within Kan Tan, such as reforestation, permaculture, alternative sources of energy, water sanitation and conservation of sacred sites.

Are you interested in working at the community or at Kan Tan project? Check out the volunteering section on this website.

 

Rescue of Indigenous Toponimics in the Territory of Boruca

With the help of the Inter-American Development Bank and UNESCO it was possible to carry out a project of the toponimics in the indigenous territory of Boruca. Brunka is an almost extinct language spoken properly by 3 elders in the community.

With this situation, Kus Kura S.C. implemented a project where the youth would be the interviewers of elders in the community to gather the knowledge, histories and legends behind each indigenous name in the territory.

All this information was compiled, revised with the elders and finally the exact locations where marked with signs with the proper indigenous name and finally each location was mapped with the aid of GPS equipment.

Medicinal Plants Recovery

Work was carried out with the local medicine women, documenting all the species in the territory, their uses and preparation. Training workshops were carried out to broaden this knowledge with other species and other techniques that can be used for improving the effectiveness of their practices.

Medicinal gardens were planted in different areas, to ease the access and protect the plants that are naturally growing in the forest.

Farm Breeders: Income Generating Projects for the Youth

A project was created in the frame of the Milllennium Development Goals, specifically on goals 1 (Erradication of Poverty) and goal 7 (To ensure environmental sustainability). This project intends to reduce the ilegal hunting of agoutis in the indigenous and provide another source of income for the youth in Boruca.

The beneficiary of this project is the Youth Association of Boruca (ASJOB) which is executing this project under the guidance of Kus Kura S.C.

More partners have joined this initiative such as the Central American School of Agriculture and Cattle Ranching, which provided technical assistance in the development of this project.