VISITS TO LAND WAORANI

Our organization began when seven women decided to unite our ideals together with a little money from project “Bore”. In the beginning the Waorani men didn’t approve the formation of this association, but after some controversy, NAWE (before called ONHAE) informed the first president, Alicia Caihuia, that they had agreed to let the women manage a fund of $1000.

Each one of the seven associates had to contribute $50; each one raised chickens, and after three months, the money was returned. Seeing that we could manage money, we felt a strong need to bring together more women to promote our interests, as well as to care for and conserve our territory in the same way as our ancestral grandmothers did, without even knowing how to read, write or speak Spanish.

The women’s association was created with the objective of better coordinating and managing the funds from the State, given that some organizations didn’t know how to do this. We asked to manage projects that benefited the 32 communities of the territory by improving health, education, nutrition and how to live.

Before, the men earned wages and managed the money, but many times they didn’t provide clothing or food for the family. Many times they spent all the money on drinking, while the women had to take care of the children. We wanted to manage the money so that all the children would have an education, clothing, food and good health. That’s why we formed the association.

Alicia convened a meeting the 7th of January, 2005, in the community of Meñepare which 30 women attended. There we elected directors, so that they could work on conservation of the forest, education, health, handicrafts, and look for projects.

The women elected the following people:

1st Appointment of AMWAE

• Alicia Cahuia: President
• Nancy Cuiquita Vice-President.
• Laura Enqueri: Secretary
• Menino Quemperi: Treasurer
• Elena touch: Principal Director
• Standard Omen: Principal Director
• Cawo Buoy: Supplemental Director
• Carola Nenquimo: Supplemental Director
• Carmela Yeti: Supplementary Director

From then on, we began to gather all the documents necessary to legalize our organization.

On the 23rd of September, 2005, we inaugurated the headquarters of AMWAE in the city of Puyo, Province of Pastaza, with the participation of the director of the project CAIMAN (Conservación en Areas Indígenas Manejadas) Jaoa de Queiroz; Subdirector of CAIMAN Engineer Walter Palacios; representatives of Chemonics

Internacional Ind., Fundacion Cantárida; Casa de la Cultura de Pastaza, Ministerio de Bienestar Social, Waorani women and associates from different communities.

In the same year, in the Tena-Archidona area, the first artisan workshop took place. The first instructors were Game Ima and Lorena Irumenga. During the first months of the formation of AMWAE, we worked with the CAIMAN project in this way, as well as with Sinchi Sacha, a foundation that offered instructive workshops, supporting and purchasing handcrafted products from indigenous people.

Some of the successes of the first years included learning much more about handcrafted goods. Also we learned to speak in public and participate in meetings. Before, only men had participated.