In the border triangle of Ecuador, Colombia and Peru lies one of the most species-rich rainforest areas in the world. This region is home to the Yasuní National Park with an area of 9'820 km² between the rivers Napo and Curaray. The park was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1989. Since the Ecuadorian government has released the oil deposits there for exploitation, the rainforest has been cleared on a large scale. The indigenous inhabitants are left behind. The deforestation of the rainforest and the interventions in the sensitive ecosystem in the context of oil production have destroyed their hunting grounds and thus their livelihood. The traditional structures of the indigenous communities are in the process of breaking down.

The situation is further complicated by the conflicts that are fought out between individual clans and tribes. These conflicts are all the more intense because the current habitat of these peoples is only about 5% of the original area.

The unique biodiversity, the indigenous culture and the mild climate form the potential of the region and are the starting point for the Choco Samona project of Cuisine sans frontières.

Choco Samona is a holistic development concept for the province of Orellana on the Rio Napo. The project supports the indigenous inhabitants with practical training in using their own resources and building a new livelihood on them.

The community of Samona was financed in 2017 for the infrastructure of a chocolate factory. This is intact, but is rarely used due to a lack of know-how. The few cocoa products that are produced are of low quality. This is where Cuisine sans frontières comes in:

Over a period of twelve months, the members of the Choco Samona cooperative are trained in practical courses. The first module deals with cocoa cultivation and the care of the plantations and plants. This is followed by courses on chocolate production: fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, rolling, and molding. Once the finished product is ready, the cooperative is supported in marketing the chocolate.

The chocolate can be bought at Changemaker, at the Bachsermärt and at Schwarzenbach in Zurich or ordered via the crowd projects on Gebana.

To the website of Cocina sin fronteras Ecuador