FAMILY & VILLAGE
Indigenous groups are based on extended families. In order to improve their future opportunities and implement new ideas, we have to work with these families. Today, the majority of the families live in village communities and for this reason, AMAZONICA works with every single family from village to village – this takes time and effort, but it is successful.
The development of forest communities improves their livelihood and, at the same time, contributes to the preservation of these indigenous groups and the last large tropical rainforest.
AMAZONICA organizes and finances specialists for training and consultation purposes, all of the materials that cannot be found in the forest and the transportation flights. Village residents do the work on site.
© Markus Heinsdorff
© Markus Heinsdorff
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Agriculture
Ecological agriculture on a family basis:
• Cultivation of vegetables, fruit and field crops
• Domestic animal farming: chickens, ducks, pigs
• Fish farming: local species held in natural ponds
Generally, agriculture serves the purpose of self-sufficiency. In case of overproduction, it produces income by selling the goods to the AMAZONICA academy or on the market.
© Dieter Menzel
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Water supply
Clean water for drinking or enough water to be used for work cannot be taken for granted. The major rivers that flow from the Andes and thus from civilization into the Amazon Basin are the sewers of cities and industry.
Every community that wants to improve its living conditions needs to have a sufficient supply of clean water. Therefore, natural springs located in the hills surrounding the villages are made accessible by installing pipes to transport the water down to the villages. In the flat plains next to big rivers, the spring water first needs to be pumped up into water towers. The pumps are usually powered by solar energy.
© Christian Spreitz
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Hygiene and waste disposal
Personal hygiene and general cleanliness are necessary for providing healthy living and working conditions. The growing amount of waste constitutes a big problem for the forest communities. AMAZONICA sponsors the work of an engineer for “ecological sanitation” (EcoSan). The engineer visits the villages frequently to educate the native people about ecological sanitation methods and hygiene. Today, composting toilets are just as common as recycling, composting and separation of waste. Toxic waste and tin cans are flown out of the forest by AMAZONICA. Moreover, primary school children clean the village once a week, equipped with spears and baskets.
© Barbara Dombrowski
© Barbara Dombrowski
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Medial infrastructure
A supply of fresh water and good hygiene are preventative care measures. Medical care for acute diseases is a different problem. Over the course of the malaria epidemic from 2005 to 2007, we began to establish a medical infrastructure in the rainforest. Now, we need to preserve and extend the existing system. Every village participating in the AMAZONICA program is equipped with a small first-aid ward and qualified villagers are trained to be paramedics. In addition to Western medicine, AMAZONICA also supports homeopathy and the traditional healing methods of the indigenous peoples. We sponsor classes for future medicine men.
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Community administration
If the community managers do not comprehend or support the necessary activities, the overall progress of the families in the villages is at risk. Moreover, the local leaders need to be self-confident enough to deal with the leading organizations of their tribes or the public authorities of their country. The members of AMAZONICA frequently offer workshops regarding all relevant aspects. We also sponsor some young people who have graduated from a secondary school for further studies in administration, accounting or communication.
AMAZONICA at
