José Maria Korta Lasarte

Born on February 13, 1929 in San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa (Spain). On January 26, 1950 he joined the Society of Jesus in Loyola. He made his last vows on February 2, 1960. In 1961 he graduated as a Technical Engineer in Barcelona. After working for a while in a factory he was sent to Venezuela.

He arrived in the country on November 25, 1962, and worked as a Professor and Prefect of Studies at the Jesús Obrero Technical Institute in Caracas. In 1963 he completed equivalency studies at the UCV to revalidate his degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1965 he wrote several study plans for the Jesús Obrero Institute. In 1971 he was Professor and Director of the Evening Baccalaureate of said Institute, in charge of its Electronics Laboratory, and he was also a Consultant.

In 1972, Korta began to make contact with the Pemón and Makiritare peoples. From the very beginning, he was dedicated to the indigenous ethnic groups as a missionary in the Upper Ventuari. Together with the Makiritares, he created the Union Makiritare of the Upper Ventuari (UMAV). In 1973, he settled on the banks of the Upper Ventuari, at the request of the Makiritares, and promoted educational and production projects, living in the indigenous way. In 1976, the Company's permanent assistance plan was established in the Makiritare region. In 1978, Korta prepared a mathematics text in the Yekuana language (Makiritare language). In 1986, the Centre for Education and Promotion of Indigenous Self-Management (CEPAI) was founded, in close collaboration with a team of indigenous promoters.