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    Fundación Wakani and The Waterbearers are driving transformative change in the Ecuadorian Amazon—providing clean water and nutrition, protecting ecosystems, celebrating Indigenous heritage, and empowering women to build resilient, thriving communities for future generations of rainforest guardians.

    Water, nutrition, and bioeconomy are deeply interconnected. Water is essential for life, food production, and human health, and sustainable practices are necessary to ensure access to clean water and healthy food systems for everyone.

    Water

    Lack of access to safe drinking water is one of the many challenges facing Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon. Rivers polluted with heavy metals from extractive oil and mining make drinking water no longer safe.

    Nutrition

    Many plant species and foods have been lost. The scarcity of wildlife threatens Indigenous people, and younger generations no longer fulfill their role of producing food in the cultivation areas called ajas.

    Bioeconomy

    Investing in women’s economic empowerment by creating opportunities for Indigenous women to share in the monetary benefits through the development of social enterprises is essential.

    The Amazon and the Climate

    The Achuar Women’s Association of Agroecological Producers (ARAK) and the Achuar Nationality of Ecuador (NAE) formed a strategic alliance to discuss how women can be stakeholders in their communities’ futures and protect water and the environment.

    The relationship between Indigenous women and environmental protection is more than symbolic; it is fundamental in combating climate change. In many Achuar territories of the Ecuadorian Amazon, women are among the primary guardians of water, food systems, medicinal knowledge, and intergenerational ecological memory. Their role connects directly to how forests remain alive and defended.

    One of the strongest connections is through water. Women are traditionally responsible for household water management, family health, food preparation, and child care. Because of this, contamination of rivers from mining oil extraction, or deforestation affects them first and most directly. Women are the first to notice changes in water quality, fish availability, disease patterns and child malnutrition. Their environmental leadership often begins with protecting family well-being but expands to include territorial defense.

    Making safe, reliable water easily accessible empowers families and honors the leadership of Indigenous women. Protecting water is not only about health but also about climate change, protecting life itself, relationships, culture, and our connection to the planet.

     

    Tackling Childhood Malnutrition Through Safe Water and Nutrition

    In remote areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon, childhood malnutrition is driven by a lack of safe drinking water. While limited food is often blamed, poor water quality and hygiene also play a crucial role. Overlooking these factors perpetuates malnutrition and preventable illness.

    Contaminated water exposes communities to bacteria, viruses, and parasites, leading to frequent diarrheal diseases and intestinal infections. These illnesses block nutrient absorption, causing chronic undernutrition in young children. Unsafe water traps families in a cycle of sickness and weakened immunity, undermining gains from better food access. The crisis is worse in Indigenous territories, where isolation and reliance on untreated water leave communities at risk.

    We tackle this challenge with a family-driven water and nutrition solution that combines practical technology and local capacity strengthening to break the cycle. Sawyer filters provide up to 10 years of safe water, reducing pathogen exposure, and women leaders and health technicians receive hands-on training to ensure proper use and maintenance of these systems.

    By providing children with a ready-to-eat nutritional supplement along with clean water, we can transform the lives of future rainforest guardians.

    SDGs