INSPIRATIONAL PRINCIPLES

INTEGRAL AND ECO-CULTURAL

We understand life as a whole, likewise we have proved the universality of mankind and the crisis of the Earth planet. Therefore, we propose an overall, inter.-related, creative and dynamic strategy, encompassing simultaneously all aspects.

If Ecology is essentially the science and art of balance and of the harmonic relationship of all beings among them and their environment, we propose the following:

Food: To develop an organic agriculture, emphasizing the recovery of our traditional food.

Housing: To research, experiment and develop living alternatives recovering native materials, traditional technologies as well as materials and modern construction proposals. We are sure that the synthesis of tradition and modernity produce long lasting, efficient and economic results.

Health: The recovery of the indigenous wisdom, an open dialogue with tradition and modernity, the respect and mutual acceptance of the different medical sciences. Mainly, we insist in strengthening the preventive medicine rather than the healing medicine, in harmony with nature.

Education: We feel that education has to respond to knowledge, acceptance and confirmation of our ethnic reality and cultural diversity, to our rich crossbreeding, to our Latin American soul. Our education shall conduct us to valuate what is ours and to find in a creative way our own keys to development and progress. Our education should reveal us the very rich cultural patrimony we own and shall motivate us to protect and properly develop it.

Values: In the process we are experiencing, it has been vital to understand that there would not be fundamental changes if firstable or simultaneously there is not an inner change. A new world shall appear in as much we construct it, in as much as we are truly new men. Due to this, values such as solidarity, friendship, non-violence, tolerance, universal vision (Our Country: The Land), the respect for all beings and a passionate love for life, have to be the powerful foundations of the new world.

SELF-FINANCING

We start from the clear consciousness that we are able, that our culture is valuable, that our nature is prodigious, that our hearths, our intelligence and our hands can and shall transform reality. We feel that we are a part of the Mother Land and that it is our only home and the beautiful garden where our children shall pay.

The scarce economic resources were compensated by extraordinary work of accurate vision and great efficiency; gradually incorporating more participants in the Hosteria as well as in the Ecologic Town and the Cantalapiedra Wild Life Sanctuary.

As results of the foregoing, some other complementary projects have been consolidated:
- Amingay Corporation:

AMINGAY searches for the sustained use of the “Caña Guadúa” with the purposes to take advantage of the ecological advantages provided by the “Guadua” and to provide an alternative of complementary income to the local population.

Currently, the AMINGAY Corporation, through an agreement with the Ministry of Environment, D.E.D. and supported by F.O.E.S., are carrying out the Agro-ecologic, productive and forest conservation project, at the National “Machalilla” Park and its muffling zone
Permanently, the Amingay Corporation cooperates, counsels and executes several social, environment and productive projects along with various ONG´s, municipalities, universities and private companies.
- Alándaluz Lots and Alándaluz Hills

This is a new concept of alternative urbanism, which includes a botanic garden of dry tropical forest, a holistic health center and an alternative education center, managed by Ecologic Regulations.

- “Cantalapiedra” Wild Life Sanctuary was created in 1993.
The need to generate proposals to confront the economic, social and values crisis of our society, the need to demonstrate the feasibility of alternative projects, reproducing life processes against the systematic destruction of nature, the need of spaces where the deep and harmonious relationships between Human Beings and Nature, the Community and God can be re-encountered, are the reasons for the existence of Cantalapiedra, an integrated organic farm and Wild Life Sanctuary.

Cantalapiedra is a property of more than 320 hectares, which maintains and protects important areas of the primary and secondary forest; its recovery has taken more than 30 years. Likewise, it has the largest native “caña guadua” crops of the Ayampe River basin.

This area has become the natural habitat of a large variety of highly endemic animals and plants.

There are large forests of “guayacan”, cedar, “figueroa” and other fine woods, and several species of deer, reptiles, amphibious, big mammals, tortoises, birds, live in this area. Therefore the need to turn it into and scenario of environmental education programs, new agriculture systems and sustainable management of the forests.

SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE

In a country full of unevenness, injustice, suffering, but also full of possibilities, we feel that we have to join together with our brothers to construct a more human, fair, beautiful and different Country,

Since the beginning of our project, this deep knowledge actively committed us and this commitment is demonstrated and expressed in:

Over four thousand rural leaders trained in our facilities.
Multiple courses and shops organized by countless ONG`S, Universities and other institutions.

The cooperation with the Puerto Rico town and other nearby towns has created an alternative development center in the area, through the implementation of agro-ecologic systems, bio-architecture centers, the development of gardening and landscaping, recycling systems, adequate technologies, etc. This entire process has generated dozens of jobs and permanent training processes

This commitment to supporting the development of the community and the improvement of the living conditions of most vulnerable rural sectors, has allowed the Alandaluz Alternative Group, through the Amingay Corporation, to promote agro-ecology and to support the management and conservation of the natural resources, specially at the “Machalilla” Natonal Park” and its areas of influence.

Through his vision, the Alternative Alandaluz Group has committed to driving the local development, fomenting training, reinvesting in the area, promoting the human capital and strengthening the rural communities.

SUSTAINABLE

The project is sustainable as it is clearly demonstrated in the following ongoing projects:

Consolidation of an alternative, integral, socially responsible and self-sustainable proposal of the most important eco-tourístic matter of Ecuador.

Alándaluz is a pioneer in a socially responsible eco-tourístic matter of Ecuador, and has inspired to many other projects all over the country.

Cooperation links have been established with various institutions such as: INEFAN, Home of Christ, AMDESO, Universidad Eloy Alfaro from Manabí, “Universidad Politecnica” of Berlin, Experiment International Group, Peace Corps, etc.

The creation of more than one-hundred direct jobs and many more indirect jobs.

The real possibility to create at medium and long terms, hundreds of new jobs in productive, ecologic and sustainable jobs through its associated companies.

With exceptional tenacity it has overcome hard tests such as war, the successive political and economic crises, the devastating floods caused by “El Niño”, etc. Despite all this, its infrastructure has improved as well as the quality of the services. This demonstrates, beyond any doubt, the extraordinary vitality and great perspectives of this project.

The Alándaluz Ecologic Town is the largest complex of Alternative Architecture developed in “caña guadua “ in America.

Since several years ago the Alandaluz Alternative Group has been promoting the alternative uses of the “caña Guadua”. During the course of the last four years, first with the support of the Ecuadorian-Swiss Counter Value Fund (FOES), then of the PPD. and more recently, through the United Nations Volunteers Program, the training, technical assistance and reforestation in rural communities as well as to companies and particular persons, in matters related to the uses and applications of these invaluable resources, have become more dynamic.

The training developed by the group has had a multiplying effect , impacting in a positive way to thousands of rural inhabitants located in different areas of Ecuador.

During these fourteen years Alándaluz has been selected by various organizations as the center of alternative training.

There are ongoing cooperation and counseling agreements with several Ecuadorian and foreign institutions and Universities.