The Amazonia Indigenous Women's Fellowship is pleased to announce its 3rd generation of fellows, with 35 women selected from across the Amazon in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname. The Fellowship includes a $10,000 per-fellow grant to inspiring Indigenous women leaders from across the Amazon.
This year we received over 170 applications region-wide. The national selection committees included Conservation International staff and representatives from the Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), in Colombia, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon, in Ecuador, and the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest, in Peru.
Above: First exchange of the Amazon Women’s Fellowship. Quito – Ecuador 2022.
Since its creation in 2021, the program has supported 96 Indigenous women in 3 generations. We are incredibly grateful to have such visionary women leading collective actions to defend their forests.
Economic opportunities for Indigenous women
In this edition, the fellows share a common outcome, increase Indigenous women´s participation in local economies to gain space and sustain conservation actions. According to regional fellow, Nemo Andy, Indigenous women´s economic inclusion is associated to conserving the Amazon and improving the quality of life of families.
“In addition, having economic participation helps us to encourage women and get them out of domestic violence, a reality for many indigenous women in our territories.” - Nemo Andy, Regional fellow with actions in Ecuador.
Levis Rivera, fellow from Peru, is the founder of the Bora Women´s Innovative Association. She is leading a project that seeks to generate income for women through the production of traditional textiles made from chambira, a vegetable fiber.
“I remember that when I became a widow, I had to be the engine for my family to move forward. Little by little, I began to sell my shicras [textiles] to some tourists who came to the community. I saw that it was a promising business, a great work alternative for me as a woman." – Levis Rivera, fellow from Peru.
Above: Exchange reproducing bees and knowledge. 2023 Putumayo – Colombia.
Tainara Kirix Munduruku, from Brazil is leading a project to guarantee economic conditions and wellbeing for her community. Her project will work to sustainably produce copaíba oil, a non-timber forest product with medicinal benefits. According to Tainara,
“The sustainable copaiba project is extremely important for indigenous women [..] It seeks to promote the economic and social development of the indigenous community, while protecting and preserving nature and the culture of our people.” - Tainara Kirix Munduruku, fellow from Brazil.
Revitalizing Indigenous Knowledge
In this edition, many projects are also working towards revitalizing and claiming Indigenous knowledge.
In Brazil, fellow Watatakalu Ywalapiti is working to revitalize the Ywalapiti language. Her people are part of the sixteen Indigenous groups that make up the Xingu National Park, in Brazil. Due to colonization, few individuals speak the Ywalapiti language, making her project part of a greater movement to revitalize her culture and protect the land.
In Guyana, fellow Vickiola Aaron is working to revitalize and preserve the Patamona language. This effort is tied to acknowledging the people who speak this language and recognizing the wisdom, history and teachings of her people.
As fellows begin their fellowship journey, the CI team would like to give a warm welcome to this group of Indigenous women dedicated to making lasting changes in the Amazon.
Above: Levis Rivera fellow third generation from Peru.
