Yamkuam's mission is to support and enhance the educational resources for the Shuar children of the communities in and near Miasal, Ecuador.
Yamkuam is providing school supplies & materials so that the Shuar children can stay in their homes in the jungle and receive a good education while preserving the cultural integrity and indigenous wisdom of their ancestors.
Materials and supplies are scarce because of the high costs & difficulties of flying them deep into the Amazon, therefore the dedicated teachers and children are not able to keep up with educational standards of their counterparts in the larger towns & cities. As a result, many children are being sent out to towns that border the Amazon in order to receive a good education and are not returning home or learning the traditional ways of their culture.
Earth Summit has teamed up with *Mary Tendall and the Shuar to support this project. See how you can support this educational initiative
In the past 20 years Mary has made her second home in the Shuar village of Miasal in the rainforest of Ecuador. She has an intimate and trusting relationship with the Shuar and has worked with them to develop Educational & Sustainable projects during her years with them. Some of the projects include production of a CD to preserve their ceremonial music and prayers, organized their seed craft projects for the US market, chronicled their cultural ways and together with Chris Amson and the SNDEI ( Sierra Nevada Ecology Institute) created a solar project to create a safe and sustainable light source using the energy of the sun in 3 communities.
*Mary Tendall, founder & co director with Ernesto Chumpi, of "Yamkuam", is a licensed psycho-therapist with a private practice in Nevada City, California. She has co directed numerous sustainable and historical projects with the Shuar for over 2 decades
Support Yamkuam's Mission
We are accepting donations of :
Cash for supplies - Clothing recycled/ new
Checks can be made out to Earth Summit, PO Box 293, Chatham, NY 12037
( please note YamKuam Project on check)
*100% of Cash donations goes toward supplies & materials
Earth Summit & Mary Tendall donate their time and pay their own expenses to travel to Ecuador to purchase materials and fly them into the jungle.
The SHUAR, of the upper the Amazon basin of Ecuador, reputed to be the only tribe in the Americas that has never been conquered, have lived as warriors, hunters, gatherers, and healers for generations.
Currently the Shaur are facing one of their greatest battles, one of cultural survial .
Even in today’s world of materialism and "progress" they defend their magnificent rain forests and sustainable ways of life, demonstrating in all they do, their earth honoring philosophy of love, hope, and the oneness of life.
Ernesto Chumpi, Co Director of Yamkuam and leader in the Shaur community, is dedicated to the education of the Shuar children and preservation of the culture and wisdom of his ancestors
