Rebuilding Yorkin: Stibrawpa Women's Organization

In the early 1990s, many of the women in the Yorkin Village became concerned about the future welfare of their families and their community. A lack of opportunities for work meant that villagers had to travel far from home to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Many of the women were making handcrafts, but had to travel to the Caribbean coastal cities of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo to try to sell their goods to tourists. IN order for their kids to go to school they had to make the long hike into Bambu or BriBri on a daily basis and as a result, many of the kids dropped out. It seemed that the community was going nowhere fast...

It was at that time that a few women came together and created Stibrawpa, which means "Women who make Handcrafts" in their native BriBri language. The purpose of this group was three-fold: 1) to preserve and protect the nature and resources around them, 2) to preserve and protect their native culture, and 3) to help improve the economy of their village. It was a group of women who wanted to create a better and brighter future for themselves and for their children.

Through much hard work and organization, and along with encouragement and assistance from Benson Venegas, of the Costa Rican NGO - Asociacion ANAI, the woman have developed an economy based on eco-tourism, where they bring visitors into the village and provide a truly unique and authentic Costa Rica experience. In 2008, the Women's Organization hosted a total of 600 day and overnight visitors in their village.

It was a long, hard battle for the women to get to the place where they are now. Initially they faced a lot of opposition and hostility from the men, who felt that their position as leaders of the community and family were being jeapordized. It has taken many years of diligent efforts by these determined women to help the men understand their purpose and point of view. Their goal is not to gain power and authority, but to work together to improve the lives within their community.

Currently, there are about 40 members within the organization of Stibrawpa - both men and women. The positions within the Board of Directors are and will continually be held by women, and the men are quite happy with that. They hold great respect for the women, for their vision, and for their accomplishments, and are happy to be a part of the team.

The organization of Stibrawpa now serves as an example for other groups and communities, about how women can take leadership roles, about how men and women can work together and respect each others contributions, and about how a driven, united group of people can do great things within a community.