Asháninka Programme

Vision

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The Asháninka are one of the largest Indigenous peoples and live in remote regions along the border between Peru and Brazil. For centuries, they have lived in harmony with nature and are renowned for their profound knowledge of traditional medicine and their beautiful craftsmanship.

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However, their way of life has been disrupted by illegal logging, which has destroyed their food sources and introduced diseases into their communities. Today, many of them live in poverty and suffer from hunger. They lack access to basic healthcare and quality education.​ As the forests around them are suffering, so too are they.

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The Indigenous peoples of the Amazon now need our help, just as the Amazon rainforest itself needs our support in order to survive and flourish once again.

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And we need the Amazon forests literally just as much as we need the air we breathe as exactly these forests provide that very air. Without healthy forests and an intact natural environment, humanity has no future.

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Since their traditional way of life has been destroyed by external forces, they now need outside support to lay the foundation for a new beginning. That is why we are launching a project to accompany 35 Asháninka communities in the Yuruá District on their journey toward a new future in which people, plants, and animals can once again live in harmony.

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We want to help them flourish again, and with them, the forests that surround them.

We want to restore balance to their lives, just as we seek to restore balance to the precious ecosystem of the jungle.

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By empowering them to reclaim their strength and resume their role as guardians of the forest, vast areas of rainforest can be protected, storing enormous amounts of CO₂. We want to provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in a changing world, as well as seeds, equipment, and experts who can train them in agroforestry practices so that cultivated areas once again resemble the natural jungle.

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In this way, seeds can be planted correctly, the rainforest can be managed sustainably, food security can be ensured, and the ecosystem can be preserved through biodiverse mixed cultivation.

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The remaining intact forest areas shall be protected through land titling and integrated into carbon credit programs that ensure the long-term storage of CO₂ while generating additional income for the communities.

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We want to secure access to basic healthcare, provide equal educational opportunities, improve infrastructure, and strengthen social equity. We want to equip them with everything they need to live well and, thus are able to care effectively for the forests they protect.

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Their profound understanding of medicinal plants, healing traditions, and Indigenous medicine should be preserved, documented, and made accessible for future generations.

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The Indigenous peoples are the guardians of the Earth's wisdom,

and we want to restore them to their rightful role as protectors of their forests.

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The project is initiated by the Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples of Ucayali together with Shipibo ambassador Roger Bardales and implemented through international partnerships such as the European Alianza Amazónica with Simone Hänel. The Asháninka Project contributes to the achievement of eight of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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To set this project in motion, we plan to travel to visit the Asháninka communities in person and gain a firsthand understanding of the situation on the ground. This initial journey will lay the foundation for an ambitious and impactful initiative.

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For this important first step and to enable the journey, we need your support.

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We thank you from our hearts, on behalf of the Indigenous peoples and the forests of the Amazon.