GCI Social Impact Grant Recipient 2023
Project: Women’s climbing and bolting festival in Pitumarca, Peru
What is the mission of Uma Rumi?
Conservation of natural areas through outdoor recreation
What is the history of your organization?
Uma Rumi was founded around 5 years ago by a group of friends that wanted to make a difference in their outdoor community. We saw a gap between outdoor recreation and the protection of nature and we wanted to make a difference. We want to make outdoor recreation more sustainable, reducing our impact on the natural wonders and allowing everyone that enjoys the outdoors to have the tools to do so too.
Our biggest and most important inspiration and motivation is nature. The love we have for the natural wonders is our biggest drive to continue our work.
What are your current programs/areas of work?
We have 4 pillars of work:
1. Scientific research
2. Outdoor school for kids and youth
3. Mitigation of risks
4. Ethnographic interviews to adults
The four pillars join with the ultimate goal of conservation of natural areas.
What positive impacts are you creating?
The positive impacts can be measured in different levels.
Conservation is a concept that can be seen in the short term through quantifiable achievements and also in the long term through social and environmental changes.
We are using scientific research to prove indigenous traditional knowledge on the presence of threatened species (like the Taruca and Andean Cat) in the areas where we enjoy the outdoors.
The outdoor school allows us to go with the kids from the local community to enjoy recreation like the tourists that visit the place. One will protect what they love and having a safe space to enjoy the outdoors without the economic boundary being a limit is key for the overall conservation goal to work in the long run.
We work to mitigate risks of outdoor recreation and tourism by creating better trails, signage, bathrooms, and infrastructure in climbing parks. Reducing the environmental impact we have on nature, like erosion, allows us to also mitigate the possible social conflicts that could rise between the communities that share the space.
Additionally, we've hosted festivals and events to boost tourism.
What are your organization's goals/vision for the future?
We hope to create a ripple effect on the way we see outdoor recreation and our impacts on the natural wonders.
Creating a community that is organized, committed, aware and active on protecting nature is our ultimate goal.
Anything else you'd like to add?
None of our work would be possible without every person that wants to participate and be a part of this movement. And this is specially true to our sister organization: 7a Escalada. All work is possible and better when you are able to share the load and we are forever grateful to every human that passes through and gives a hand.