ABOUT US
José Carlos Morales
Boruca indigenous. Holds a degree as an Agricultural Engineer and a Master in Agricultural Economics from the Institute of Higher Agronomic Studies in Montpellier, France. He has had a unique trajectory in the indigenous movement by being the first Costa Rican indigenous person to graduate from high school and university.
José Carlos has dedicated more than 60 years of his life to the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples, leading processes of great importance at national and international level. He was the promoter of the Costa Rican Indigenous Law of 1977. He was also president of the world conclave on indigenous peoples that led to the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and had the honor of being the Focal Point of the First Decade for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland.
Leila Garro
Professionally trained as an obstetrician, with a degree in Women's Health and Perinatology. Researcher, writer, and teacher. She has worked for nearly 50 years with indigenous peoples. She oversaw the development of the program of primary health care assistants in indigenous peoples in Costa Rica.
​
Leila has received several awards. In 2007, she received the Estelia Marín award, as nurse of the year, granted by the College of Nurses of Costa Rica. In 2009 and 2011, she was awarded by Ford Motor Company for her work with the Awapa Indians of Talamanca and research on indigenous gastronomy respectively. As a writer in 2011, she received the award as the best book of gastronomic research in the world by Gourmand World Cookbook awards in Paris France.
Kan-Tan Educational Farm
Together, as a couple, Jose Carlos and Leila joined their knowledge and efforts to give life to the Kan Tan Educational Farm, its name toponymically means the Site of the Stone. The vision of its founders was to recreate what was once the village of Boruca, with its grass ranches and self-sustainability in water, energy, and food. Given that the construction technique was in danger of extinction and despite the advanced age of Don Braulio Morales, father of José Carlos and the only person who knew the technique, he was in charge of the construction of the only 3 grass ranches that exist in the country and with this he managed to transfer
The learning of the technique to 4 young people of the town. Kan-Tan has an area of 127 hectares, totally reforested and has provided water for the town for more than 5 decades. Throughout time the farm has had the participation of many young volunteers from more than 20 countries, who with their work and enthusiasm have increased the magic and energy of the place.
Kan-Tan received several awards and grants over the years. Among these, the Conservation and Environmental Grants from Ford Motor Company. The farm is also part of the country's Private Reserve Network and is under the Payment for Environmental Services regime.