Nunkuy Santi Memorial Fund

The present fundraiser goes in memory of the beautiful child Nunkuy Santi. Our hearts and love go out to the Santi-Guatatuca family during these difficult times.

On the 6th of April, 2021 at 10:00 AM Nunkuy Anabel Santi Guatatuca was born. It was a gorgeous, sunny morning in Amazanga, an indigenous Kichwa community in the upper Amazon of Ecuador’s Pastaza province. They named the little girl Nunkuy, the mother of the Ukuy ants. The Nunkuy is abundant, a caretaker, a giver of life.

Nunkuy Santi grew up in the community with her 6 brothers and sisters. She was a grand personality, recounts her father, Pitalala. She was an avid dancer from the time she could stand up, and especially loved the traditional Kichwa music. Nunkuy was very active, tagging along everywhere from the soccer field to the agricultural plots and the jungle, where she loved to eat natural food from the forest. Her favorite song was KamBak SikWanka and her favorite food was chicken soup with yuca. Nunkuy always enjoyed helping out and was particularly good at showing off the artisan crafts made by Veronica, her mother, and Pitalala. When we would meet around the fire at the community and drink Guayusa tea, Nunkuy would grab a pilche bowl and serve the Guayusa to us one by one with a big smile, just like her grandfather always did. She was a bright light in the lives of everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her.

Sadly, on March 30, 2023, right before turning 2 years old, Nunkuy unexpectedly passed away. The tragedy has left us all in shock. Nunkuy had been fighting a sickness that doctors had difficulty diagnosing back in 2022. The family had traveled to the capital city of Quito on several occasions to seek more extensive treatment but struggled financially to get the medical attention needed. Nonetheless, Nunkuy was a fighter and showed great strength through it all. Little by little she began to recover. By March of this year she seemed to be back to full strength, dancing and playing with the other kids in the community. Then, out of nowhere, she suffered some sort of attack. The family did everything they could to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible, but the taxi didn’t make it in time… The family, friends and loved ones gathered in mourning that night, still in disbelief. Veronica and Pitalala were inconsolable. Through the tears, Pitalala shook his head and asked what he could have done to save her. There were no words to fix what had happened, I just embraced him and told him that he did everything he could.

To give you all a little context, my name is Alex Bentley, I'm a biologist from Salem, Virginia. I currently live in the upper Amazon of Ecuador with my girlfriend, Dione. We have known the Guayusa Runa and Amazanga community for almost four years and our organization, Waska Amazonía, has helped start and run a sustainable vanilla farming project in the communities to replace inefficient and destructive land-use practices. During these years we have grown very close to the families. In fact, Pitalala and Veronica asked us to be the godparents of Nunkuy’s older brother, Jhair. The traditional Kichwa baptism was held in the community just 10 days before Nunkuy passed on to her next life.

In the following week, we all continued to grieve, and Dione and I asked ourselves what we could do to help. We decided to start this fundraiser to support the family with the medical and funeral costs, but also to ensure that the Amazanga and Guayusa Runa communities have access to proper medical care and education for many years to come. Together with the Santi-Guatatuca families, we ask for support from our brothers and sisters of the North. A little bit can go such a long way down here, and provide much-needed aid to these communities. So here’s how the fundraiser works:

The Nunkuy Memorial Fund (NMF):

-25% of the funds raised go directly to the family. The Santis and Guatatucas live off the land. They cultivate crops, construct houses, make artisan crafts, and receive groups of eco-tourists. However, they don’t have fixed jobs that provide a monthly paycheck or sustainable income that allows for much saving. As such, when a crisis like this happens, it's extremely difficult to make ends meet. So this 25% will help pay for funeral and medical expenses that have been incurred, as well as allow them to continue to put food on the table for their family.

-30% of the money raised will go towards a medical emergency fund for the communities. Again, these families don’t have savings for unexpected medical costs. We hope that this fund will allow the families to access proper medical care when they need it in the future.

-25% of the funds raised will contribute to an education fund for the children of Amazanga and Guayusa Runa. There are over 30 children between the two communities, and it is often a struggle to pay the kid’s school tuition, much less buy books and other materials. This has been a constant need for many years, and one that we have tried to raise funds for in the past. As such, we wanted to make the most of this opportunity to help provide these children with a consistent and quality education.

-Lastly, 20% of funds raised will contribute to our ongoing vanilla project, which is run by the family and located in Guayusa Runa. This project arose with the intention of providing the community long-term financial stability in harmony with nature. The idea goes in function of, “Don’t give a man a fish, teach him how to fish”. Vanilla is an incredible alternative to cattle farming and almost all other agricultural activities. We currently have 50 vanilla plants growing and hope to have a first harvest in the coming months. Nonetheless, there are continued needs for the start-up, as production has not yet begun. We hope that the fund will provide a sustainable income for the families and the ability to cover unexpected expenses like medical emergencies, ensuring the long-term well-being of the communities for generations to come.

We hope, with all our hearts, that this memorial fund may honor the life of Nunkuy Santi and help ensure the health, education, prosperity and happiness of the Santi and Guatatuca families for many years to come.

With much love, Alex and Dione.