Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku

The main objective of the Kichwa People of the Sarayaku area, or Tayjasaruta, is to achieve sumak kawsay (“the good life”) for all inhabitants of this region. This means enjoying a healthy, unpolluted, productive and abundant land full of natural resources, ensuring food sovereignty for the entire population of Sarayaku. The Tayjasaruta vision is to consolidate its autonomous government and build their own development model to protect the society and culture of the Kichwa people of Sarayaku.

How we helped

On January 25, 2016, the Ecuadorian government signed contracts with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec), which created a consortium called Andes Petroleum for exploring and exploiting two oil blocks in the Amazon region. This agreement directly threatens the ancestral lands of the Sápara nation and the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, amongst other Kichwa communities and territories of the Shiwiar, Achuar and Shuar nations. Our nations and peoples have not been properly consulted in this decision. The due process of Free Prior and Informed Consultation and Consent has not been respected by the Ecuadorian State, and these nations have declared their categorical rejection of any form of extractive activities in their territories. However, the entry of state authorities and representatives of Andes Petroleum in ancestral territories is imminent. In response, indigenous women from communities and nations directly impacted from the Central-South Ecuadorian Amazon need support in order to organize peaceful resistance. Lush’s contribution will help these communities defend their collective human rights and ancestral lands.

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