El Zapotalito: Field Visit 1

Tomorrow, I’ll be joining a team of 7 wonderful leaders and change-makers (aka the fanstastic 7) for a field work visit to El Zapotalito, a coastal community in the Lagunas de Chacahua National Park, in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The community has a diverse population of about 1000 people, of afro, indigenous and mestizo origin. Many are migrants from Guerrero and other nearby communities.
The main activity at El Zapotalito, is fishing, with over 75% of the people practicing it for self-consumption and also for selling. Tourism is another important source of income, through boat rides, restaurants, and a local hotel. There is little agricultural activity, with a few farms producing papaya, flor de jamaica and others.
We have 2 important allies in the community: La Ventana, a local NGO and the Fisher-Women Cooperative. Caro, CEO and founder of Guardarenas Mexico, is our main point of contact, and she has been working with the community for years now.
We’re going to spend 3 days in the community, working and learning from community members. We’ll spend a lot of time with the fisher-women, learning how to fish, visiting the bocabarra, and cooking. Also, we will dedicate some time to touring the community, and doing a few other collaborative community mapping exercises.
The fantastic 7 are well-seasoned development practitioners, with years of instruction experience as well. I can’t wait to see them in action as we embark in this adventure and learn more about life in El Zapotalito! Pictures to come soon!