Empowered indigenous women leaders of Loreto and guardians of change

Peru is home to more than 2.9 million indigenous women and 45% of them have only primary education, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI). A reality marked by the lack of educational services in their communities and the burden of domestic responsibilities from an early age. However, these women are breaking barriers, demonstrating that their voice and leadership are key to the future.

As the struggle for women's rights gains ground, indigenous women have begun to play a more active role in their organizations. “The Women's Program of our organization was created two years ago. At the beginning, we found it useful to learn about the experience of AIDESEP, for example. We also listened to the voices of our women leaders, and that's when I saw the need to empower them. Many are not aware of their potential and their enormous contribution in decision-making spaces. They have never done it and don't know how to start,” says Zaira Rodríguez López, leader of the Women's Program of the Regional Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the East (ORPIO).

As part of the strengthening process for ORPIO's women leaders, ORPIO's Women's Program, in alliance with strategic allies such as the Bilingual Teacher Training Program of the Peruvian Amazon - FORMABIAP, Indian Law, One Planet, World Vision and WWF, designed the course “Territorial Governance and Voice Management” accredited by the Loreto School of Higher Public Pedagogical Education.

Thus, 20 women from 8 federations associated with ORPIO were able to improve their public speaking skills and formulate messages for advocacy in their territories. In addition, they strengthened their knowledge of human rights and the importance of the sustainable use of the chambira (emblematic palm of the Amazon) as a way to activate their family economy and conserve endemic species in their territories.

“Before this opportunity I did not know the origin of my roots. Now I know that I am part of the Kukama Kukamiria indigenous people and I feel proud to be one. In school they don't teach us about these issues and we don't know about our rights as indigenous peoples. I feel empowered and I will take everything I have learned to my community so that they can learn about our roots and the importance of our ancestral knowledge,” said Jherma Luz Rios Taricuarima, a student from the FECODIJEH federation.

Looking forward to 2025, ORPIO's goal is to continue training 20 new women leaders, thus consolidating a network of empowered indigenous women who drive development and sustainability in the Amazon.

“Learning about my rights and how to defend them has a lot of meaning for me. I will be a spokesperson for what I have learned so that more women and girls in my federation know how to play a more active role in our communities. My priority is to seek improvements in the health, education and welfare of our children. I want more and more of them to be able to decide to continue their studies and for us mothers to have an economic income that will help them fulfill their dreams,” said Vivian Necca Dunu, leader of the Matsés people.

At WWF Peru, we believe in the transformative power of indigenous women to protect nature and build a better future for their families, communities and the territory itself. To promote these changes, we have defined five key strategies, conceived in a synergistic manner that seek to ensure the sustainable conservation of the landscapes where we intervene hand in hand and for the benefit of the population. This initiative contributes to the strategy of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Communities Strengthened for the Conservation of their Resources and Territories.

To learn more about our work you can visit: https://www.wwf.org.pe/nuestro_trabajo/estrategias/