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ECOPA: Intersections for Sustainable Living is now the Jiquilisco Bay Alliance!͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
ECOPA: Intersections for Sustainable Living is now the Jiquilisco Bay Alliance!
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Throughout the last year we have been reaching out to stakeholders and supporters to understand their experience of and goals for ECOPA. We have been building out new on the ground programs, expanding our network of partners and clarifying our mission and vision. As a result of this work and with new leadership on board, we have decided to change our name and refine our focus. ECOPA was created in the tradition of five decades of international collaboration and solidarity with the communities of the Jiquilisco Bay region in El Salvador. Going forward, what was ECOPA: Intersections for Sustainable Living, will now be the Jiquilisco Bay Alliance. We’re excited to embark on this next phase of important work supporting the people of the Jiquilisco Bay region in attaining their community-led goals and initiatives. This includes projects in mangrove reforestation, sustainable fisheries, and public-space improvement, among others.
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With our new name comes a new website and logo. The six stars displayed on our logo represent Xirihualtique, the indigenous name for the Jiquilisco Bay, which means “Bay of Stars.” Along with our new look comes a new vision, new strategy, and refined programming objectives to meet on-the-ground needs. |
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We no longer solely focus on providing technical expertise and programmatic support. We now provide direct financial support to our community partners to fund more effective programming and organizational capacity building
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We’re making concerted efforts to re-engage our network and build new partnerships with universities, foundations, and networks of solidarity in both the United States and El Salvador. We can’t do this alone. Please consider renewing your support with a donation through our website or through volunteering your time or expertise. If you’d like to get involved and donate your time, please contact us at info@jiquiliscobayalliance.org to discuss the many ways in which you can be a part of this next chapter. ¡Adelante!
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As part of this rebrand we are excited to share our new bilingual website: www.jiquiliscobayalliance.org. It’s much more than a new name and look— it more powerfully communicates the reality and impact of the work we do with our community partners in the Jiquilisco Bay region. Clear, clean, and easy to navigate, we’ve worked hard to ensure that the information provided reflects our current priorities and programming while also providing a well articulated vision for continued organizational growth through impactful initiatives.
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FISHERIES IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
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We are also thrilled to announce that we were awarded $25,000 in grant funding from the Resource Legacy Fund and another $15,000 from a private family foundation to launch the first Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) in El Salvador! Building off the success of Asociación Cincahuite’s Pesca Limpia initiative, this multi-year project will engage five artisanal fishing cooperatives to collect much needed data on ecological indicators and fishing efforts. The goal is not just to determine sustainable scale, minimize environmental impacts, and provide effective management, but also to ensure human rights and social responsibility standards are met while building new markets and economic opportunities.
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We’re currently $10,000 shy of our $50,000 budget for the first year of the FIP. Please consider making a contribution to support our efforts to advance both ecologically and economically sustainable fishing in the Jiquilisco Bay. |
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We would also like to introduce and welcome our newest board member, Elisabeth von Halem, who is based in El Salvador.
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Elisabeth spent nearly 20 years working in family offices in NYC, Austin, Texas, and Marin County California. After retiring and receiving a Master’s in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute, she relocated to Central America in 2021 where she lived and worked in Granada, Nicaragua, before moving to El Zonte, El Salvador in 2023. |
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Elisabeth is passionate about supporting efforts to address climate change impacts to the natural world and especially to supporting communities most at risk and most dependent on the health of the land and waters where they live and work. She has experience working in agriculture, import/export, eco-tourism and hospitality sectors in Central America.
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Part of the Environmental Justice & Sustainability Speaker Series at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, this free event is open to the public and will also be streamed online and recorded.
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On October 10, Argueta will be joined by the Jiquilisco Bay Alliance’s Jamie Stanton and Nick Rahaim for a conversation on how the 50-year history of international cooperation and solidarity in the Jiquilisco Bay region shapes our current work and vision for the future. This talk and fundraiser for Asociación Mangle will be held at Hasta Muerte Coffee in Oakland. Space is limited so please register in advance! Further details including additional events that week will be posted to our socials, so stay tuned!
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CONTACT US:info@jiquiliscobayalliance.org
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