The New Mesoamerica Program at TWP
By the Mesoamerican Program Team - Daniela Bueso, Marlen Garcia and Marvin López
TWP staff, Red Mocaf team, and members of the "Río de Aguas Buenas" cooperative/ejido in Acolihuia, Puebla
For years, TWP has been studying and exploring innovative climate resiliency strategies across the Americas. In 2023, our Central America team had the pleasure of attending our first Climate Week in Panama, where we met exemplary organizations working across Mesoamerica. Among those groups included was the Coordinadora de Mujeres Líderes Territoriales de Mesoamérica, an incredible collective of women who introduced us to Red MOCAF —The Mexican Network Community Forest Organizations.
Red MOCAF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “carry out activities aimed at promoting the sustainability of the rural regions of Mexico, which includes improving the living conditions of local Indigenous populations that sustainably use and manage their natural resources.” TWP saw an incredible potential to work with Red MOCAF due to our shared values and priorities and their long-standing history and resilience in their ejido (a communal land that is owned and operated by local communities, that combines communal ownership with individual use) amidst social and environmental challenges, which are still present to this day.
Left: holding wood crafts from the women’s artisan group “Artesanias Los Angeles”. Right: Guillermo Martinez, Secretary, and Eduardo Hernandes, Commissioner of the "Río de Aguas Buenas" cooperative/ejido.
After a year of site visits, and evaluating community needs, we proudly announce a new partnership and pilot project in Puebla, México! We will collaborate primarily to restore degraded lands and local forests while empowering women through leadership and economic opportunities. It has been a long-time dream of TWP to build bridges across Mesoamerica, as the shared histories of struggle and resilience of people in the Americas also define their strength. As a team, we are honored and proud to be a part of this new chapter, and we can’t wait for you to join us on this journey!
Marlen Garcia: “Having the opportunity to work with Mexican grassroots organizations is so exciting for us because it represents one more step towards achieving our vision and supporting impactful actions on a broader level. We begin this new chapter with a great desire to learn, to create lasting relationships, and to contribute positively to the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Mexico”.
Marvin Lopez: “Expanding our horizons to Mexico not only opens the opportunity for direct collaboration with local populations and organizations in this country but also opens a window to expand our learning and knowledge exchange between all initiatives in the Mesoamerican region and the southern United States of America”.
View of the communal forest in Acolihuia, Puebla. Owned and managed by the “Río de Aguas Buenas” cooperative/ejido
