“Wise Warrior Woman”
So = wise mature woman – cagru = warrior
Painting by K-Mel
Doña Lourdes Rojas Frasser is an educator, trainer of trainers, president of the Association of Indian tourism, and a mother to four children.
Her most important project is to empower women to enable them to meet their children’s needs, including food, clothing, education, and the pursuit of happiness.
Becoming an orphan from the age of five, she earned her livelihood by babysitting for other families. When she was 12 years old, she received some money that allowed her to go to school. after high school, in addition to taking care of her two children, she started her career as a teacher in Buenos Aires. She returned to Boruca to learn wood carving and its symbolism from the mask master Don Ismael. She became a master carver in her own right.
Currently, she is the president of the Tourist association CaGRU, which endorses several social projects in the village. The women promote sustainable tourism through workshops, among them, textile dyeing and weaving, mask carving, and traditional cuisine. They offer overnight stays in typical accommodations called ranchos and outdoor activities such as hikes to the waterfalls and surrounding areas.
Lourdes’ leadership has allowed her to travel and visit other countries and indigenous groups. lourdes is the proud mother to four children, all of them with professional careers. You can personally meet lourdes and her friends during the Ethnic Tourism Festival at the Workshop Cagru in Boruca on December, 14th.
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