Akiva was founded by Ignacio Mazzocco
AKIVA works in association with two other NGOs:
La Noble Igualdad
Complex: Social Innovation Lab
La Noble Igualdad is an NGO that helps citizens understand their rights, and claim these rights on their own, without the need of a lawyer’s intervention.
How is this idea applied in real life and in relation to SOEVA?
The SOEVA neighborhood (where AKIVA is active) has a persistent shortage of potable water. This is a longstanding problem that has not been solved yet.
On some days the water flows bountifully, and on other days there is no water at all.
In response to this situation,
La Noble Igualdad (LNI) handed out free copies of the legal manual La Noble Igualdad (Random House Mondadori) for them to learn how the basic rights of access to public services – such as WATER – work.
At LNI we believe that it is better for an infuriated community to channel their indignation LEARNING and COMPOSING a concrete LEGAL DOCUMENT, than channeling their anger by cutting off a street in a public protest. The latter option, besides disturbing those trying to travel freely (who are external to the conflict itself), rarely succeeds in accomplishing the original objective of the protest.
Properly justified legal claims are much more effective.
Additionally, LNI has made their TEAM OF LAWYERS available to complement the neighbors’ requests.
Why are both LNI and AKIVA needed?
Because AKIVA cannot develop productive projects, such as the organic Soeva Orchard, in a location where the neighbors have no dependable water supply.
And why do both NGOs need “Complex: Social Innovation Lab”?
Because COMPLEX (which is dedicated to INNOVATE SOCIALLY) has developed an integration strategy between the neighbors of Santa Maria de Tigre (SMDT) and the neighbors of Soeva. Until this integration strategy, these neighbors had nothing in common besides the fenced border which separates both communities: the affluent on one side, and the less prosperous on the other.
At COMPLEX we developed a strategy for the neighbors of SMDT to access Soeva, meet the neighbors there, and understand that reality was not what their sheltered imaginarium had preconceived.
In fifteen years coexisting with only a fence between them, they had never gone round to meet their neighbors.
As a by-product of this strategy, COMPLEX developed a WORK and COLLABORATION program between both communities. This program generated a huge deepening of EMPATHY and SYNCHRONY between both neighborhoods.
The relationship between both communities is now completely different to what it has been for the last fifteen years.
NOW BOTH COMMUNITIES WORK TOGETHER!
UN-HEARD-OF
