Education

Most of the mistakes made by the forest population are due to ignorance, a lack of knowledge of the rules and methods of the civilized world.

This ignorance is shamelessly exploited by business and politics. This leads to corruption and the loss of intact living spaces. On the other hand, „being allowed to learn“ is still a privilege for young indigenous people and their families. There is a lot of catching up to do! So we give them the education they urgently need, from elementary school to university studies and in agriculture, crafts and other professions.

The measures in detail

Literacy

Those who go to elementary school learn reading, writing and arithmetic in two languages – the respective indigenous language and Spanish – but many children cannot be enrolled due to a lack of money. As this school system has not been in place in the forest for very long, many adults and all older people are illiterate. AMAZONICA gives courses to young and old, independent of public education.

Some of the grandmas and grandpas have enrolled in elementary school after successful literacy training. There they sit next to their grandchildren!

Support for pupils and students

The elementary school in the Walddörfer villages are state-run, ugly and impractical. They are wooden shacks with corrugated iron roofs and no light, water or toilets – the indigenous people call them „cages“. On hot days, lessons are stopped at 11 a.m. because pupils and teachers roast under the corrugated iron, and every time a tropical shower pours down, you can no longer understand a word.

For this reason, and to preserve their own culture, villages with which AMAZONICA works are given new school buildings in the traditional style, improved with flooring, light, water and toilets. The stock of teaching materials is renewed every year.

For high school students, there are still few and poor quality educational opportunities in the forest. Going to a good secondary school in the city is very expensive for forest people. Our foundation pays the school fees for many young Shuar and Achuar until they graduate from high school.

Anyone who wants to study at university must have a good school-leaving certificate and choose a subject that is useful for life in the forest, that benefits their people and the common cause. Of course, the course of study should also enable the person concerned to work later on and contribute to their livelihood.

Crafts and other professions

Courses are held for indigenous people who want to learn a trade. Basic courses are initially held in the villages so that as many interested people as possible can take part. AMAZONICA then offers courses in the provincial capitals with internships in specialist companies for those who are really suitable for vocational training and want to continue their education. In this way, the forest population learns professions such as mechanics, carpenters, builders, plumbers, electricians and tailors (especially women) and can set up a family business in their villages. Further courses are held in basic training for paramedics and in the tourism sector for tourist guides, cooks and tourism specialists.

Workshops are given as required on topics of interest in a community, mainly on the „role of women“ and „family planning“, on the topics of „future orientation“, „community development“, „social behavior, solidarity“ and „nature conservation“.

The communities receive advice from experts, who are given temporary contracts by AMAZONICA, on ecological waste disposal measures, agriculture and the use and maintenance of new technologies.