| ID: | 83773 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Colombia |
| Title: | Colombia - Puentes/Rural for Young People – November 2023 |
| Description: |
Johny Serrano is a 22-year-old entrepreneur and former student of the “Touristic experiences and circuits design” course, offered by the “Anfitriones para la Paz” initiative (Hosts for Peace. Johny and his family have grown cacao in San Rafael, in the area surrounding Santa Marta’s Sierra Nevada, since 2005. But his family has also worked hard on a dream: to create a hostel. The little knowledge Johny had on tourism he had acquired it by taking odd jobs in the area’s hostels. “Because I didn’t know much, I went to other hostels to work and gain some experience”, Johny says. It wasn’t until 2022 that Johny saw the opportunity to improve his and his family’s small business thanks to the “Touristic experiences and circuits design” course, offered by the “Anfitriones para la Paz” initiative and part of the “Puentes/Rural for Young People” project, developed by ICCO Cooperation in partnership with IFAD). This initiative provides technical training to Colombian young adults who live in rural areas, giving them knowledge about cuisine, table and bar serving, bakery, pastry and confectionery, accommodation services, tourism operations, and digital content creation. In Colombia, they have trained over 700 young adults in rural areas of La Guajira, Nariño, Magdalena, and Putumayo departments. “I found out about the course through a neighbour”, Johny says. “She told me ‘Johny, I have a pretty interesting proposition for you, it might come handy for you, who are working on tourism’. And I thought ‘here’s my opportunity to continue growing’”. As a result, Johny created alongside a partner “Cacao de la Sierra” (Cacao from the Sierra), a tourist route around the history and preparation of cacao beans. Johny’s venture works in conjunction with the women group “Mujer Tayrona” (Tayrona woman), who were also trained by the project and now produce chocolates and products derived from cacao. They also prepare local dishes with cacao, and have a recipe book which helps them to keep alive their gastronomy traditions. Now, these businesses articulate farming, gastronomy and tourism. |
| Size: | 36.45 MB; 4370 x 2913 pixels; 370 x 247 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1156 x 771 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Luis Bernardo Cano |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Luis Bernardo Cano |
| Categories: | New from Latin America and the Caribbean |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
Loading...
Loading...