Empower Atakapi-Sani: Solar Panels for Education

I am an academic and activist supporting Indigenous-led conservation strategies in the Amazon of Ecuador. A group of approximately 70 families from the Atakapi-Sani community, located near Yasuni National Park, is in need of a solar panel system to provide the community and local school with basic electricity. This will power a fridge, an oven, provide internet to the local school, and illuminate about 16-20 light bulbs. This infrastructure is the first step in improving education for conservation, serving approximately 250 children who lack basic resources in this part of the Amazon. We need to raise $5,000 to purchase basic equipment, including solar panels, batteries, and an electrical system. I will be donating personal funds to cover an additional $3,000 needed to pay for the transportation of materials and installation in the deep lower Amazon. Friends from the Pintag community outside Quito will provide the installation of all the necessary equipment at a significantly reduced rate to support these efforts.

If you know me because you are a student, colleague, or friend, you are aware of my commitment to the conservation and education of Kichwa communities along the lower Napo River. I have fifteen years of experience working shoulder to shoulder in the Amazon to address pressing problems related to resisting oil extractive operations, remediation of existing contamination, and education for conservation, ensuring that my research serves community needs.

I will follow up with donors, sending pictures of the installation, the school, and other community-based infrastructure that will benefit from the solar panel system.