By Maria Gaglione – Published in Avvenire on 14/12/2019

EoF: Stories – The currency has increased demand for local products and services and strengthened the intensity of social relations.

Meeting Diego is a chance for us to feel contagious joy and hope. Diego Wawrzeniak is a Brazilian social entrepreneur and a member of the Inkiri Community. He has a degree in Economics and has worked in the financial sector as an investment analyst. After creating a start-up, he decided to join the Inkiri Community where he developed a local bank and currency. Today he looks after new community projects that combine innovation, entrepreneurship and local economy. “Participating in The Economy of Francesco is a dream come true,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to show that a fairer and more sustainable economy is necessary because it is the only way forward“. The Inkiri Community is one of the most important Brazilian ecovillages. “About 150 adults and 30 children and adolescents live in the community. Every year we welcome over 3,000 visitors from different parts of the world. The local economy is very prosperous with more than 20 entrepreneurial activities in different sectors. Our school system is recognized as one of the most innovative educational experiences in Brazil“.

Ecovillages are communities that define themselves as economically, socially and ecologically sustainable models where people who share the founding principles may join in; housing units are generally designed to reduce the environmental impact and the use of renewables is promoted in them. The result is a system of great aesthetic value, which is productive and sustainable over time. Diego has immense trust in the ability of men and women to choose change, to reconnect with nature in respecting all forms of life. His key words are unity and cooperation. “In my heart there is a great desire to participate in The Economy of Francesco so as to begin, together, the most amazing transformation that human history has ever known.”

“For the past six years I have dedicated myself to the development of the Inkiri economy. As an economist and entrepreneur, I have seen the positive impact of developing local products and services and the importance of providing small entrepreneurs with simple financial tools that enable them to realize a dream. The development and implementation of the community bank and local currency have made our economy flourish in a ‘spectacular’ way. The currency has increased demand for local products and services and strengthened the intensity of social relations.” As an expert in markets and currencies, investments and banks, Diego bids us farewell saying, “I have never considered money as the goal of my work. In my commitment to support local economies, I apply the principles of justice, respect, sustainability, human empowerment, sense of belonging and, last but not least, the hope to make the world a better place“.

Source: