Rare Fellow Mónica Rivera is honest about who she is: she admits she’s stubborn, loud, and insatiably hungry for knowledge. In Colombia’s Valle del Cauca region, where unsustainable land use and unpredictable weather threaten access to water for millions of people, Mónica’s curiosity, will, and powerful voice were exactly what communities needed.
“Give me a lever, and I will move the world,” she said. “This is the lever: The community. Solidarity. Commitment to the process.”
In Valle del Cauca, water shortages were at an all-time high. Mónica, a staff member of the regional water authority, felt compelled to do something about it. Mónica and Rare worked together to run campaigns, educating community members about the forest-water cycle and the negative effects that destroying cloud forests and páramo vegetation have on water flowing downstream.
But trust was low—trust between upstream landowners and downstream water users and trust between the community and the government. The campaigns needed to do more than build awareness—they needed to build trust followed by action. Mónica committed herself to engage with and better understand the local peoples’ needs. She could often be spotted riding her motorbike back and forth between farmers upstream and communities downstream, with the campaign’s mascot – a life-size sloth – hugging her back. Mónica focused on trust, friendship, and a little of her trademark tenacity to change the conversation and help upstream landowners and downstream water users see eye to eye.