About UsCynthia and Gregory first developed a connection to Mali while serving as Peace Corps Volunteers there from 1999-2001 and 1997-1999 respectively. Since their Peace Corps service Greg and Cynthia have continued to foster and maintain close ties to Mali, returning numerous times in various roles. Their observations of and experience in development efforts in Mali left them frustrated and questioning why most international development organizations hire western ex-pats at an incredible cost (salaries, housing, transportation, private cooks and guardians) to do what Malian farmers could do far more effectively and at a much lower cost. They have also seen how relatively small sums of money can work wonders in the hands of rural agricultural entrepreneurs. So they decided to create an organization founded upon the lessons learned from their observations and experience. ECOVA MALI provides salaries to accomplished Malian farmers to train other farmers in sustainable agriculture techniques. ECOVA MALI also provides start-up capital in the form of micro-loans and mini-grants for the creation and development of worker-owned and managed, sustainable agricultural enterprises based on principles of environmental and social responsibility. We are excited to announce that Cindy, Greg, and ECOVA MALI are prominently featured in the new book of the NY Times Best-Selling Author, John Perkins, "The Secret History of the American Empire". Click here for a link to some book reviews and links to purchase the book online. Cindy Hellmann
Cindy has spent the last several years of her life as a farmer, but is currently the Executive Director of “Our Place Drop-In Center,” a food shelf, soup kitchen, and day shelter in Bellows Falls, VT. She is devoted to building and strengthening local farm and food systems, and works to incorporate this passion into her work as an anti-hunger and food justice advocate by procuring produce for the food shelf and kitchen at Our Place from CSA memberships at local farms to gleaning programs at the local farmer’s market. Cindy is a very active volunteer in the “Buy Local,” committee of a local Peak Oil organization in Brattleboro, where she and a fellow organizer organized the first ever Winter Farmer’s Market. Cindy is also active in the “Fair Trade” movement and is a frequent volunteer with Oxfam America’s “Make Trade Fair” Campaign. Cindy holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT. Soon after graduation in 2003, she and her husband, Greg were hired as a “Rural Development Consultants” with an all expenses paid return to Mali teach Malians about storing and marketing food products in Mali, subjects in which, not surprisingly, her Malian counterparts had far greater knowledge and expertise. Realizing the absurdity and injustice of this and the fact that Cindy and Greg’s expenses equaled the average annual wages of 8 Malians, they decided to create an organization to raise funds to create salaries for a network of Malian rural experts, and Ecova-Mali was born. Ecova Mali, although only months old, recently caught the attention of best selling author and justice in international development advocate John Perkins (“Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,). Pages of interviews with Cindy and Greg, as well as information about Ecova-Mali, appear in his new book “The Secret History of the American Empire.” Cindy and Greg plan to take up part-time residence in Mali next year to devote themselves to the growth and strength of Ecova-Mali and its mission. Cindy has a passion for other cultures and environments, and has lived and/or traveled extensively in Africa, Europe, and South East Asia, and Oceania, and plans to travel to South America next year. She is a vocalist with the local Brattleboro band “Mogoya,” and collaborates with other various musicians in the states and in Mali. Cindy is a budding documentary filmmaker, and plans to collaborate with a fellow Mali RPCV on a film about the history of Malian music. She is also an avid gardener, community organizer, outdoors lover, and all around “good times” person Greg Flatt
During his Peace Corps service he obtained the necessary funding to fully enclose a community garden with chain-link fencing to protect it from the ever-roaming livestock. This project was initiated by the village community in an effort to increase vegetable production for consumption and sale. He also started to raise rabbits in his yard, which sparked a great deal of interest from the community and neighboring villages. So he facilitated the creation of a rabbit raising association, which provided training and breeding pairs of rabbits to all the members. Greg, a guitarist and singer, also composed and recorded a song in Bambara about rabbit-raising that became an instant hit, due primarily to a video which is still broadcast to this day on national television. He later returned to Mali in 2000 to record a full-length album, “Zou et Moctar – LA SAUCE”, with a dozen talented Malian musicians. It was during this time that Greg and Cindy met. Cynthia, a talented vocalist, also sang on LA SAUCE. Several performances and music videos ensued, including “Fantani”, which has been aired throughout West Africa. LA SAUCE is in its final stages of re-mastering and will soon be available for sale. 20% of all proceeds from album sales will directly support ECOVA MALI. If you are interested in purchasing CD’s please contact Greg at gmoctarflatt@hotmail.com to place an order. Throughout his Peace Corps experience, Greg grew increasingly disillusioned with the international “development” projects in Mali. Many, if not most, of the projects he saw were “top-down” and absolutely non-sustainable. They were out of touch with the Malian people, the roots of their difficulties, and the incredible skills, resourcefulness, and ingenuity they possess. In 2001 Greg enrolled at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. He focused his studies on participatory development and food security issues. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development in 2003. From 2001 until 2006 Greg farmed in Vermont during the growing season, learning more about organic production techniques. Together, Cindy and he created a successful Community Supported Agriculture program at Arcana Gardens and Greenhouses, which thrives to this day. In 2005 Greg and Cindy served as volunteer agricultural consultants in Mali, where they worked with a women’s association to develop a cooperative sales model. They also explored various valued added product possibilities with the women. In 2007 Greg was hired by the History Channel as a "Location Fixer and Associate Producer" to lead a documentary film crew as they produced an episode on Timbouctou for the Digging for the Truth series. The project explored the history and intrigue of the legendary Timbouctou. The show explored the various factors which contributed to the importance of this mysterious city in the Sahara: the Emperor Kankan Mansa Moussa and the mighty Malian Empire, Mande gold, the Niger river, salt, 700 year old universities, and an astounding number of ancient manuscripts to be found there.
|
|
Cynthia Hellmann grew up in the Midwest and moved to Vermont where she has lived for the past 11 years, minus the 2 years she spent in Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1999-2001. She was an “Agriculture Extension Agent” in the Peace Corps, and while she lists community garden organizing as her primary project in her official Description of Service, in actuality her real project was becoming a trusted member of her village, learning a Malian language and becoming deeply immersed in the various cultures and peoples of Mali. She considers dispelling the myths of international development and the peoples of Africa her most important work as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
Greg was born and raised in Princeton, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts in 1996. In 1997 Greg left for Mali, where he served for two years in the Peace Corps as an Agriculture Extension Agent. Living in the small Bambara village of Niana-Sobala (population of 300), where the people practiced subsistence agriculture was a life changing experience. He was given the Malian name, “Moctar Diarra”. It did not take long to fall in love with the country and its people. He was struck by the friendliness, resourcefulness, skill, and overwhelming hospitality of the Malian people.