PROJECTS
SAPARA NATION COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROJECTS
The Sapara are an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, along the border of Ecuador and Peru between the Pastaza and Napo River. Once a nation of 200,000, there are currently less than 500 people remaining. Most speak Kichwa as their primary language, and only two elders still speak the traditional Sapara language.
The Sapara Nation of Ecuador is recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” because their language and culture are in danger of disappearing.
Sapara communities are in communication with the outside world via UHF Radio and the Internet, even from their remote forest location, and are working in partnership with global organizations to support their communities, and defend their rights and the rights of nature.
The initial projects of Raising the World are focused on carefully listening to the needs of the Sapara people, supporting and collaborating with communities of the Sapara Nation.
TSITSANU SCHOOL - SAPARA EDUCATION PROJECT
Raising the World supports the development of Tsitsanu School in collaboration with the Sapara Nation. Tsitsanu School will be located in the Sapara Nation and expand access to culturally grounded education, safeguard the endangered Sapara language and ancestral knowledge, strengthen intergenerational relationships, and create pathways to further education. By centering Sapara knowledge, voices, and priorities, Tsitsanu School will strengthen community agency and territorial sovereignty.
The Tsitsanu School curriculum integrates Sapara ancestral knowledge, cultural practices, and land-based learning, alongside Sapara, Kichwa, Spanish, and English languages, mathematics and science.
The goal is to establish formally accredited, Sapara-determined education throughout the Sapara Nation, enabling children to pursue secondary education without sacrificing their cultural identity and the sovereignty of their people.
YARISHAYA ITIUMU - THE SAPARA WOMEN'S COLLECTIVE
On May 9, 2023 the first Sapara Women’s Collective, or Yarishaya Itiumu, held a confernece in Puyo, Ecuador, on the edge of the rainforest. This is a dynamic and inclusive event that empowers, organizes and expands connections between Sapara women. Women from the Schuar, Kichua, Waoraini, Showier, Andwa, Sapara Kichua from Napo, Sierra and Costa were represented.
Raising the World believes wholeheartedly in Yarishaya Itiumu. Future projects include passing laws with Nación Sapara del Ecuador (NASE) that protect women and women's rights.
THE EMERGENCY FUND
The Emergency Fund is in place to help the Indigenous Communities in case of an emergency. Due to the remote area in which they live, the people of the Amazon Rainforest find it difficult to receive urgent medical attention. The emergency fund ensures there are resources available in case someone needs to be evacuated from the jungle via small airplane, and then transporting them to the closest hospital once they are out of the jungle, as well as paying for them to stay in the city while receiving medical care, both for the patient and family.