Waterock,l3c an "investor owned limited profit company" was recognized at the Good Festival 2016 Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland for its activities including the creation of a profession of Indigenous Youth "Land healers". http://www.goodfestival.ch/ So much available money is wasted in conferences, as opposed to creating millions of Land Healing jobs around the world.
Following the Award we received by the "100 Projects for Climate Change" contest, organized by the French Government during COP21-22 and in cooperation with a Marrakesh, eco-tourism company "Terre des Etoiles", Waterock organized and managed an international exchange of traditional land and water restoration techniques involving participants from Berber and other youth from 15 different countries where such practices are found. Three experienced Hopi Raincatcher trainers led demonstrations and exchanged thoughts on responding to a wide variety of land and water restoration requirements suggested by many of the youthful participants. Requests following the Workshop in Morocco have been received by us, from public and private agencies in six other African and Asian countries. Visits by Waterock and Hopi Raincatchers trainers, are being organized to respond to their authorities to explain the cost/benefit relationship of "land healer" activities. Click here to see the photos.
While it is true that bureaucrats and government officials around the World have been talking about the need for responding to severe drought conditions resulting from the negative effects of Climate Change, there have been too few examples of actual fieldwork designed to mitigate these problems! Waterock believes, and encourages relevant Climate Change response advocates, government and private sector based, to similarly believe in the importance of establishing Land and Water Restoration Workshops for indigenous youth in drought affected areas in the World, wherever they exist! Their value will be quickly seen in the positive attitude of participating youth who earn an immediate income as they learn employment-based, natural resource conservation skills, as the basis for an appropriate profession!
International agencies and governments are becoming more aware of the urgency of encouraging rural indigenous youth, especially unemployed, to remain in their rural community areas.This is an alternative to their searching in urban areas for scarce employment opportunities that for the most part they are not qualified for. It is anticipated that local and regional economic development authorities will seek and allocate funding for the training of such youth. This will be focused on conserving and improving their watershed resources. In turn, this will translate into their employment in agricultural production and marketing, leading to a higher standard of living for themselves, their families and their reservation-based communities.
WE WILL BE BUSY AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR IDEAS AND YOUR PARTICIPATION. THANKS!
Laurence de Bure President, Waterock. L3C
