Hokies for the Amazon Kichwa

Hello! We are a group of Virginia Tech students in the College of Natural Resources and Environment Leadership Institute. Our project for this school year is to raise financial support and awareness for the Sani Isla Kichwa Community in the Ecuadorian Amazon. To do this we have partnered with the Llikchary Institute, and adopted their mission statement of furthering indigenous cultural preservation, environmental conservation, and international education. The Kichwa live in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet and have built a rich cultural history that is closely tied to the abundant natural resources around them. In recent years though, the Sani Isla community has been increasingly encroached upon by oil and timber companies. Their once, pristine land is now under constant threat, and the community is in danger of losing the rainforest which has provided for them for centuries. Despite this bleak setting, the Llikchary Institute offers hope for a brighter future. The institute is a learning center where young people in the village can acquire trade and language skills, and a place where people from all around the world can come and learn from the Kichwa.

We understand that our efforts and the work of the Llikchary Institute may seem small compared to the vastness of the issues facing a rainforest a continent away. We do not claim to have a silver bullet solution or even to fully understand the unique challenges facing the Kichwa people. And yet, our goal of raising $5,000 for the Llikchary Institute has the potential to have a truly significant impact on the Sani Isla Community. This money we raise will go towards textbooks, room and board for students, building supplies and even boating licenses so that boat drivers can bring children to and from school. Please like and follow our facebook page and consider donating. Thank you.

The video below was provided by the Llikchary Institute to describe their mission.