Tierra Viva is a Venezuelan non-governmental organisation that encourages sustainable development through environmental programmes with a strong education focus. The programmes combine work on environmental education, the conservation of natural resources and the improvement of quality of life by encouraging the development of participatory projects through partnerships with educational establishments, communities and businesses.

Tierra Viva was established in 1993 to implement a programme in the Lake Valencia basin to respond to the environmental problems found in this highly populated, industrialised area. The project concluded in 1995 and since then Tierra Viva has become fully independent from its founder organisation Living Earth. Tierra Viva co-ordinated a number of shorter projects before securing more extensive funding from the European Union and Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) - the Venezuelan state petroleum company. It currently has four regional projects amongst its more general activities such as participation in environmental networks and dissemination of good practice.

Dissemination and Information
Tierra Viva is active in disseminating information about the work it is doing , both to provide support to its own projects and to those projects developed by the community and educational establishments, to contribute to improved management of natural resources.

With this in mind Tierra Viva produces 'Ambiente en Letras' (Environment in Letters) a fortnightly newsletter sent out to 150 organisations since February 1997. Newsletter titles can be viewed here.

Networks
Tierra Viva is a member of the co-ordinating committee of the non-governmental environmental organisations network - 'ARA'. The ARA network is made up of about 20 members and acts as a mechanism of communication, exchange of opinions, awareness raising and education within environmental organisations of Venezuela.

Tierra Viva is also a member of the Executive Council of 'Sinergia' (Synergy) the NGO network that promotes civil society organisations and their activities particularly in the fields of welfare and social development.

Methodology
The methodology used by Tierra Viva is based on action-learning and team working. This methodology is one of the common elements of all their projects and programmes and is key to the values of the organisation.

RESEARCH
Research is the starting point for all projects. It is crucial in identifying the key problems and needs of the area and sets the framework for ensuring that needs identification remains dynamic and relevant. The team collates relevant information from two sources - literature studies and consultation of stakeholders. By involving stakeholders from the start, and by using techniques that are based on participation and respect for participants, the projects encourage solution-focused approaches to the problems that are identified.

DEVELOPING MATERIALS
The development of educational and training materials is a systematic process involving users and external organisations at the design, writing and editing stages of production to ensure the materials' quality, relevance and validity. Methods such as feedback from different users and audiences to evaluate materials, helps guarantee that these contribute to the aims of the project effectively. The activities involved in producing the materials, such as the collection of information that will form their content, and their design and evaluation, are co-ordinated with other research, training and educational events.

CAPACITY BUILDING
Through a series of workshops, the training needs of the participants are identified and techniques are demonstrated to build their action competence to positively change their local environment. The workshops also support the participants in their development of relevant skills through exchange of ideas with others in similar situations and by providing examples of good practice. Training needs frequently identified include: Project design, implementation and monitoring, Institutional strengthening and working with and influencing others.

Find out more about the work of Tierra Viva here

To find out more about Living Earth's work in Venezuela contact Javier Alvarez