Darío Marquínez is the leader of the textile recovery project in the Ngöbe community of Alto Laguna on the Osa Peninsula. Since Dario was little he dedicated himself to crafts such as dresses, necklaces and bags. He believes it is important to wear the Ngöbe designs and that people recognise them. Darios parents taught him a lot about the Ngöbe culture and language and he sees every day that the culture is being diluted. Dario has dedicated himself to rescuing the tradition of dresses and the Ngöbe culture.

The objective of this project is to teach young Ngöbe people about their culture, their language, tradition and symbolism, to revive this knowledge and keep it alive. This project will experiment with new clothing designs and fashion styles, always wearing the Ngöbe symbol and keeping the authenticity of the culture, while introducing a more modern fit.

We will provide sewing machines and materials in order for Dario and his team to begin working on new designs, to be worn by the Ngöbe themselves, and to be sold to generate sustainable income and share Ngöbe traditions and stories.