Sharing Resources with Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin

This story is from Planet Women’s interactive 2022 Annual Report.

Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil.

Although they comprise approximately 6.2% of the world's population, Indigenous Peoples protect 80% of the Earth's biodiversity on their remaining lands. The wisdom and cultural practices that Indigenous Peoples have kept alive for centuries hold the key to effective, holistic solutions to protecting nature and mitigating climate change.

In the Andes-Amazon region, Indigenous communities are on the frontlines of the environmental crisis, advocating fiercely for protecting their land and livelihoods in the face of legal and illegal mining, logging, and land development. Planet Women was eager to support women and girls from these communities as they stand up for their people, nature, and justice—and we could not have asked for a better partner in this work than Cultural Survival.

Cultural Survival is an Indigenous-led nonprofit advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ rights since 1972. Cultural Survival works toward a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures. Their four-pronged strategy encompasses grantmaking, advocacy, capacity building, and communications. And their programs cover five themes that represent the most urgent issues facing Indigenous Peoples today: climate change solutions, lands and livelihoods, Indigenous community media, languages and cultures, and the leadership of Indigenous women and youth.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Planet Women invested in Cultural Survival’s work with Indigenous women and girls across the Amazon Basin. In 2022, our donors funded four fellowships for Indigenous youth in Brazil, as well as trainings for 14 Indigenous environmental defenders from Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil.

Fellowships for Indigenous Youth in Brazil

The Cultural Survival 2022 Indigenous Youth Fellowship program supports young Indigenous leaders between the ages of 16-28, knowledge holders and creators who, through their leadership and creativity, have the potential to significantly advance their work leading transformative and impactful spaces within their communities.

Cultural Survival considers Indigenous youth to be changemakers, and youth leadership development is integral to the well-being of Indigenous communities. Planet Women funded four fellowships for youth residing in Brazil--the first time that Cultural Survival was able to include youth from Brazil in the program! Read about all of the fellows on Cultural Survival’s website.

Youth Fellows Inamatí Xâne Terenoe Collective (Terena). © Cultural Survival.

Meet the 2022 Indigenous Youth Fellows: 

● Carina de Souza Moraes (Horopakó Desana) - Her fellowship project, “Pehkame Mashã,” aspires to build capacity for 12 young people in leadership and community media to actively participate in social transformation in their communities, “reforesting” good ideas and good practices driven by artistic expression and visual media tools.

● Daniele Silva Rodrigues (Guajajara) - Her fellowship project, “The ComunicAgir project: Media and Rights of Indigenous Girls,” aims to involve Indigenous youth in Maranhão in the fight against gender-based violence and defense of Mother Earth.

● Inamatí Xâne Terenoe Collective (Terena) - This collective’s fellowship project, “Kaxunaka ra vemo'u Terenoe” (Strengthening our Terena Language), focuses on the protection of the Traditional Knowledge and ancient wisdom of the Terena People. They aim to strengthen Terena identity, culture, language, and defense of the land by making documentary shorts using interviews with Elders and knowledge keepers.

● Daje Kapap Eypi Audiovisual Collective (Munduruku) - This collective’s fellowship project, “Uprising of Munduruku Girls,” focuses on making visible the struggles in defense of forests and water resources in their territory. They are creating short documentaries to record the impacts of logging and environmental pollution that have interrupted food security and livelihoods for the Munduruku Peoples. They also highlight the importance of protecting and safeguarding Mother Earth.

Trainings for Indigenous Defenders in the Amazon

Planet Women also funded a series of trainings for 14 environmental defenders, women who come from eight Indigenous Peoples. Designed and conducted by Cultural Survival, the trainings aim to strengthen the defenders’ use of communication and information technologies and deepen their understanding of international rights frameworks and local rights defense strategies.

Trainings also touched on identity, bodies, and collective and private property rights. The courses were geared toward increasing the defenders' capacity to train other community members for an exponential impact. Read the bios of the defenders on Cultural Survival’s website here.

We are so proud to be a part of this work and are eager to see what these amazing women do next!

There’s so much more to come in 2023 and we need you to help grow this work! Please consider joining The Ripple, Planet Women’s new membership program, or making a one-time gift.