The first US-based volunteers for Rainforest Partnership arrived in Lima, Peru Tuesday! Austin-based lawyer, Marisa Perales, will assist the RP team in conducting research regarding a multitude of local legal issues and facilitating meetings with organizations and government entities; Rob Richardson, an Austin-based teacher, will focus more on the local level regarding markets for handicrafts, horticulture research, and ways to link musicians, artists and students in the community with people here in Austin. Executive Director, Niyanta Spelman, will be meeting them in Peru next month to follow-up with the handicrafts project and management plan in Chipaota.

Niyanta will be on the ground to continue developing the project plan with the Sani Isla community in Ecuador, and also assess the potential for a project in the Satipo Road area (District of Pampa Hermosa) of Peru. She will be joined by Board Chair Hazel Barbour in Ecuador, and later by Board Secretary Jordan Erdos in Peru. The RP team will be accompanied by exciting volunteers and in-country team members to showcase the progress of the projects and continue building partnerships with local groups. These individuals include Austinite filmmaker, Michel Scott, who will be working on a documentary focusing on the Chipaota project and the Sani Isla project. Michel is an accomplished director and cinematographer and you can learn more about his recent stunning film, The Horse Boy, by clicking here.

RP’s projects will also be displayed behind the unique lens of a Swedish photojournalism team consisting of Martin Edström and Alfred Runow. You can follow Martin and Alfred’s relationship with Rainforest Partnership through Project Carpe Diem and read their blog, connect with them on Facebook, and receive new updates via Twitter. Congratulations to them for just receiving new sponsorships this week! The group will also be joined by Lucia Eslava, our program coordinator, and Jaso Rojas Angulo, project manger, who are both based in Peru.

We are so excited to have all of these incredible people joining us on our trip! This meeting is a true demonstration of the ability to create a more sustainable future by working together. We will keep reporting the progress of all of the project initiatives throughout the next two months so stay tuned!