Help indigenous communities battle Covid-19!
Donation protected
Cover Photo: Marcelino Pinedo Cecilio, whose community in the Purús suffered from disease and death when they were first contacted by an anthropologist in the 1950s. Marcelino's community and indigenous communities like his across the Peruvian Amazon are now fighting to survive the Covid-19 pandemic with extremely limited access to healthcare. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.
Indigenous leaders meet to discuss emergencies facing their communities. William Villacorta.
A second wave of Covid-19 is quickly spreading through South America.
The Peruvian government has failed to protect the vulnerable indigenous communities living in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon.
These indigenous communities lack the resources and the healthcare that are critical for protecting their remote communities during the spread of COVID-19.
How you can help:
Money raised here will fund a Covid emergency response system to the Yurúa, Inuya, Mapuya, and Sepahua regions of the Peruvian Amazon. The most important element of the emergency response is a fully-stocked river ambulance (“ambulancia fluvial”) that can access the most remote parts of the Amazon. Below is an example of such a river ambulance, that we hope to buy and equip as soon as possible:
An example of our goal! A fully-stocked river ambulance to reach the most remote indigenous communities. William Villacorta.
The emergency response system requires...
- River ambulances
- Medicine
- Sanitation supplies
- Oxygen
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
...among other things that are critically needed to protect indigenous communities facing a second wave of Covid.
William Villacorta will administer the funds and organize the emergency response. William is my old friend and colleague. He works directly with indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Logistical support will be provided by William’s colleagues at the Upper Amazon Conservancy .
William with the Nuevo Eden Vigilance Committee, Yurúa. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.
Why I am involved in this fundraiser:
This cause is very close to my heart. A few years ago I spent some time living with the Huni Kuin people of the Purús region of the Peruvian Amazon, and fell in love with the people I met and the incredible beauty of the region. Now that Covid has come, I feel the responsibility to help in any way I can. William contacted me because as a Peruvian he isn’t able to set up a GoFundMe. Please read below to learn more, and please donate if you can.
Man puts on tradtional face tattoos. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.
The Peruvian Amazon is one of the most culturally and biologically diverse places on the planet.
Colonization, and the disease and extraction that comes in its wake, have threatened indigenous people for centuries. Now the looming threat of Covid hovers in the horizon, and these indigenous communities, that are already struggling to secure their autonomy and human rights, have to face the threat of a devastating and contagious disease.
Huni Kuin Mother and daughter, Purús region of the Peruvian Amazon. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.
Extending a Covid-19 response to the most remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon is an essential step that must be taken to ensure the safety of indigenous communities.
The Upper Amazon is also one of the last places on earth where humans live in voluntary isolation (so-called “uncontacted” indigenous groups). Protecting the indigenous communities of Yurúa, Inuya, Mapuya, and Sepahua against Covid will also help protect isolated indigenous groups from the spread of disease. Direct aid from this fundraiser will make a huge impact in this region, which is anthropologically and environmentally precious to humanity.
Vistas of Yurúa, one of the regions benefitting from this fundraiser. From "Naturaleza y nosotros: Yurúa." PNUD Peru.
Fundraiser emergency response region encompassing Yurúa, Inuya, Mapuya, and Sepahua watersheds highlighted in orange. Map my own.
A section of river in the Purús, a neighboring region to those targeted by this fundraiser. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you feel so inclined, please donate what you can! I will post updates as often as I get them!
Further reading/ relevant links:
Upper Amazon Conservancy
Last Wildest Place, an award-winning photography project produced by Jason Houston and Chris Fagan.
Last Tribes of the Amazon, National Geographic
Protecting the Wildest Place on Earth a "story map" of the Purús-Manu landscape. Upper Amazon Conservancy.
En Español:
Conservación Alto Amazonas
Naturaleza y nosotros: Yurúa
Documental Purús Manu: Latidos de la selva
Indigenous leaders meet to discuss emergencies facing their communities. William Villacorta.A second wave of Covid-19 is quickly spreading through South America.
The Peruvian government has failed to protect the vulnerable indigenous communities living in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon.
These indigenous communities lack the resources and the healthcare that are critical for protecting their remote communities during the spread of COVID-19.
How you can help:
Money raised here will fund a Covid emergency response system to the Yurúa, Inuya, Mapuya, and Sepahua regions of the Peruvian Amazon. The most important element of the emergency response is a fully-stocked river ambulance (“ambulancia fluvial”) that can access the most remote parts of the Amazon. Below is an example of such a river ambulance, that we hope to buy and equip as soon as possible:
An example of our goal! A fully-stocked river ambulance to reach the most remote indigenous communities. William Villacorta.The emergency response system requires...
- River ambulances
- Medicine
- Sanitation supplies
- Oxygen
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
...among other things that are critically needed to protect indigenous communities facing a second wave of Covid.
William Villacorta will administer the funds and organize the emergency response. William is my old friend and colleague. He works directly with indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Logistical support will be provided by William’s colleagues at the Upper Amazon Conservancy .
William with the Nuevo Eden Vigilance Committee, Yurúa. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.Why I am involved in this fundraiser:
This cause is very close to my heart. A few years ago I spent some time living with the Huni Kuin people of the Purús region of the Peruvian Amazon, and fell in love with the people I met and the incredible beauty of the region. Now that Covid has come, I feel the responsibility to help in any way I can. William contacted me because as a Peruvian he isn’t able to set up a GoFundMe. Please read below to learn more, and please donate if you can.
Man puts on tradtional face tattoos. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.The Peruvian Amazon is one of the most culturally and biologically diverse places on the planet.
Colonization, and the disease and extraction that comes in its wake, have threatened indigenous people for centuries. Now the looming threat of Covid hovers in the horizon, and these indigenous communities, that are already struggling to secure their autonomy and human rights, have to face the threat of a devastating and contagious disease.
Huni Kuin Mother and daughter, Purús region of the Peruvian Amazon. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.Extending a Covid-19 response to the most remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon is an essential step that must be taken to ensure the safety of indigenous communities.
The Upper Amazon is also one of the last places on earth where humans live in voluntary isolation (so-called “uncontacted” indigenous groups). Protecting the indigenous communities of Yurúa, Inuya, Mapuya, and Sepahua against Covid will also help protect isolated indigenous groups from the spread of disease. Direct aid from this fundraiser will make a huge impact in this region, which is anthropologically and environmentally precious to humanity.
Vistas of Yurúa, one of the regions benefitting from this fundraiser. From "Naturaleza y nosotros: Yurúa." PNUD Peru.
Fundraiser emergency response region encompassing Yurúa, Inuya, Mapuya, and Sepahua watersheds highlighted in orange. Map my own.A section of river in the Purús, a neighboring region to those targeted by this fundraiser. Jason Houston / Upper Amazon Conservancy.Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you feel so inclined, please donate what you can! I will post updates as often as I get them!
Further reading/ relevant links:
Upper Amazon Conservancy
Last Wildest Place, an award-winning photography project produced by Jason Houston and Chris Fagan.
Last Tribes of the Amazon, National Geographic
Protecting the Wildest Place on Earth a "story map" of the Purús-Manu landscape. Upper Amazon Conservancy.
En Español:
Conservación Alto Amazonas
Naturaleza y nosotros: Yurúa
Documental Purús Manu: Latidos de la selva
Organizer and beneficiary
Caroline Dougherty
Organizer
New York, NY
David Dougherty
Beneficiary