http://www.eborojo.com
Darién Project, Panama
The Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped
swampland and forest separating Panama (Central
America) and Colombia (South America). It measures
just over 160 km (99 mi) long and about 50 km (31 mi)
wide. It is not possible to cross between South America
and Central America by land without passing through
the Darién Gap.
Roadbuilding through this area is expensive, and the
environmental toll is steep. Political consensus in favor
of road construction has not emerged. There is no road
connection through the Darién Gap connecting North/Central America with South America. It is
therefore the missing link of the Pan-American Highway. The geography of the Darién Gap on
the Colombian side is dominated primarily by the river delta of the Atrato River, which creates a
flat marshland at least 80 km (50 mi) wide, half of this being swampland. The Panamanian side,
in sharp contrast, is a mountainous rain forest, with terrain reaching from 60 m (200 ft) in the
valley floors to 1,845 m (6,050 ft) at the tallest peaks (Cerro Tacarcuna).
People
The Darién Gap is home to the Embera-
Wounaan and Kuna
Indians (and former home of the Cueva
people before their
extermination in the 16th century). Travel
is often by dugout
canoe. On the Panamanian side, Yaviza is
the main cultural
center. It had a reported population of 1700
in 1980. Corn,
mandioca, plantains and bananas are staple
crops wherever
land is developed.
(Courtesy of http://wikipedia.org/)
Our Project:
For those who have not been into that part of the
world, it would be quite hard
to understand the realities of having to make a living
and look after a family in a place
where clean water and electricity are a luxury, where modern shelters are non existent, where
one has to take care to protect himself against armed gangs whom from time to time terrorize
the population. However, life must go on.
Darién jungle has its mysteries. Some of the most sought after fruits and plants such as the
borojo (Borojoa patinoi) tree, grow only in that part of the world. The secrets of this God given
pharmacy were unlocked by the natives centuries ago. more--->>>
Young Woman - Darien
Kuna-Yala Kids
Native Village - Darien
