Supporting Indigenous Students during COVID -19

Who are you supporting?

25 Indigenous college students who live and study in the Peruvian Amazon. Students are from various Indigenous communities in the Madre de Dios region, including Palma Real, Infierno, Santa Teresita, Diamante, Puerto Luz, and Yomibato (see list  of students).

Peru’s Indigenous communities represent invaluable cultural diversity and cultural heritage and serve as recipients of ancestral knowledge and practices concerning environmental stewardship. However, the current COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the future of these vulnerable communities, which are often located in remote tropical forested areas with limited access to healthcare, food, and educational opportunities.

What is the issue?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all local universities and technical institutes in this region have been forced to close and transition to exclusively virtual-format classes. This change presents unique challenges for students from Indigenous communities, who often have insufficient resources to cover expenses such as a laptop or tablet.

Challenges like these can be ruinous for the academic careers of Indigenous students, who already face numerous other social, cultural, and economic barriers in pursuing higher education. Consequently, the majority of these students are facing the prospect of having to drop out of school.

However, over the past months, some indigenous communities were able to install internet service using their own resources and through cooperation with local organizations. The biggest remaining obstacle is the lack of digital mobile learning devices for students, including tablets, laptops, and smart phones.

How will this project solve the issue?

Our goal is to use the funds raised through this campaign to purchase 25 tablets for $200 each (see proposed purchase) along with the necessary accessories so that Indigenous students are able to continue with their classes. For $5,000, we aim to reduce the stress that COVID-19 has imposed on these 25 students by providing them with the means to realize a better future through educational access. 

Once the current students graduate, the equipment purchased through our fundraiser will be passed on to the next cohort of indigenous students, and so on through the useful life of the equipment. In this way, your contributions will have the potential to support multiple cohorts of future Indigenous students.

What is the potential long-term impact?

Indigenous communities are stewards of ecological knowledge and cultural practices relating to their environments. Their roles include the preservation of language, tradition, and important decision-making about their territories, ecosystems, and resources. In the present, this knowledge resides in the elder members of these communities. Nonetheless, a future in which these Indigenous communities can thrive will depend on the successful transmission of this knowledge and wisdom to the next generation, who will eventually assume these important responsibilities. Supporting Indigenous college students with mobile technology for learning will help empower future Indigenous leaders, their communities, and environments.

 Who are we?

Our team includes representatives of the local Indigenous organization, Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes (FENAMAD). Specifically, this initiative is led by Jose Antonio Dumas, an Indigenous leader who is the Education and Culture Coordinator of FENAMAD, and Katya Mallea who is the Sub Coordinator of the Indigenous Youth Development and Cultural Program.

Other members of our team include Dr. Amanda Stronza, an anthropologist with nearly 30 years of experience working in conservation and with communities like Infierno in Madre de Dios; Luis Garcia Neyra, environmental lawyer and founder of a local conservation organization; and Tania Romero Bautista, a doctoral student from Madre de Dios studying Earth System Sciences at Florida International University.