Treli Rodia

“Trelí Rodia” WISE is a Work Integration Social Enterprise aimed at the integration of vulnerable groups, which operates since January 2024 as part of the Self-Help Promotion Program. It is an effort to create a sustainable, comprehensive model for the social and professional (re)integration of individuals who have faced addiction issues.

The initiative provides a safe work environment where employees can focus simultaneously on meeting their basic needs and on their personal development. The goal of the initiative is for individuals to work under decent and fair working conditions and on terms that promote their well-being. Their employment does not interrupt their “recovery,” but rather serves as its natural continuation, enriching it with new skills, perspectives, and experiences. At the same time, individuals are educated in an ecological way of life, as they participate and work in a primary sector enterprise that implements organic and ecological farming practices.

Through collective decision-making processes, in which the active and equal participation of all members is encouraged and facilitated, Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) values are put into practice, ensuring the project’s transparent and democratic operation.

At the “Trelí Rodia” WISE, we are engaged in:

• propagating aromatic plants, herbs, and traditional varieties of vegetables and fruits
• the sale of aromatic plants and potted fruits and vegetables in various sizes
• the cultivation of an orchard with 420 pomegranate trees
• the processing and sale of products (herbs, vegetables, pomegranates, etc.)
• the provision of educational services (visits by schools and other organizations or groups to the nursery and the pomegranate orchard, the creation of herb gardens and vegetable gardens, activities related to familiarizing participants with organic farming, etc.)

Additionally, the “Trelí Rodia” WISE:

• serves as a practical training site for Social Scientists and Scientists from the departments of the School of Agricultural Sciences
• Provides its space for educational seminars, conferences, workshops, one-day events, etc.

The financial support provided by Co-Fund will be used to improve the nursery’s infrastructure, which is a necessary prerequisite for organizing and implementing educational activities safely, consistently, and with high quality and long-term impact. In this way, the achievement of the project’s educational objectives is significantly accelerated: the creation of a stable, functional, and attractive learning environment that, combined with the adoption of innovative teaching methods, will educate and raise visitors’ awareness of agroecological issues, such as the preservation of traditional seeds, organic farming, and clean food.

The expansion of the services offered is expected to make a decisive contribution to the long-term financial sustainability and, by extension, to the positive social impact of the initiative, with multiple benefits for employees, members, and the local community.