Helping indigenous and traditional communities to organize for effective self-governance as well as develop and implement sustainable solutions to improve their health and well-being.    

Community Empowerment Project

For the past several hundred years, indigenous and traditional communities have suffered terribly at the hands of outsiders ultimately resulting in the degradation of both biological and cultural resources. This has resulted in the loss and destruction of ancestral lands as well as the disintegration of cultural traditions. We are working to empower and assist communities in their fight to take control of their own destinies by providing support for organizational development and leadership training. For example, we helped the Maijuna indigenous group establish a legally recognized indigenous federation and support their yearly inter-community congress, bringing together their four distantly separated communities.

Pandemic Prevention and Relief Project

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on indigenous peoples throughout the Amazon. Indigenous communities are extremely vulnerable to the pandemic due to persistent inequality, discrimination, and lack of access to health care. With a total population of only 600, the Maijuna are one of the smallest and most vulnerable indigenous groups in the Peruvian Amazon. Through our pandemic prevention and relief efforts, we provided lifesaving medicines, personal protective equipment (PPE), educational materials, food, and essential supplies to 175 Maijuna families to help them weather the beginning of the pandemic when things were especially dangerous, precarious and unknown. No Maijuna individuals have perished from COVID-19 to date, which is a testament to the success of the prevention and relief efforts that we implemented together with the Maijuna. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and provide pandemic relief and support as needed to Maijuna families and their communities. Key allies on the ground assisting with this work include governmental institutions such as the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the Regional Government of Loreto along with non-governmental organizations such as Asociación La Restinga and Sacha Cine, among others.

Healthy Communities PROJECT

Indigenous and traditional communities throughout the world often lack access to basic health care putting children, elders, and other community members at great risk. We are working to assist and empower communities to improve their well-being and quality of life through not only enhanced access to lifesaving health care but also through the revitalization of traditional medical systems including the use of medicinal plants. For example, we are working with the Maijuna indigenous group to improve and strengthen their access to health care during times of need through an emergency health fund as well as by building capacity in their ability to effectively navigate the Peruvian health care system. This work is in collaboration with the Cabeceras Aid Project.

Clean water project

According to the World Health Organization, 3.4 million people die from water related illnesses every year, and 77 million people in Latin America lack access to safe drinking water.  We are partnering with communities to build biosand water filters as well as teach sanitation and hygiene workshops in a manner that fosters community capacity building and ensures long-term project success. For example, we have built over 75 water filters in Maijuna indigenous communities, significantly decreasing water borne illnesses that can lead to persistent problems with chronic dysentery and high infant mortality rates. This work is in collaboration with faculty and students of George Mason University’s Amazon Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) Project.