Gday everyone! I´m currently working in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest with Global Vision International (GVI), and in 3 weeks we´ll be doing a 5 day jungle challenge to raise money for the local environmental projects and communities we support, please help us!

The Challenge: Trekking and kayaking from GVI base camp to the Huaorani community over 5 days. This route has never before been done by gringos!

Day 1: 8 hours of trekking in primary rainforest (trekking from the Napo River, near our base camp to Huaorani tribe territory). Night in jungle hammocks in Wentaro community.

Day 2: 5 hours of jungle hiking. Night in jungle hammocks with Kewediono tribe

Day 3: Full day in Kewediono, where GVI interns teach at the high school. We'll be building a community building for the tribe and visiting the school where donation money will be spent.

Day 4: Full day kayaking down the Shiripuno River to a tent camp near the community of Nenkepare, where we'll camp out and hike to the area's largest waterfall. 

Day 5: On our last day, we'll travel by canoe down the Shiripuno river, seeing firsthand along the way the negative effects of oil on the region.  

More about what we do:

At GVI Amazon, we do biodiversity monitoring and road effect research on butterflies, mammals, amphib/reptiles & birds in the Yachana Reserve. We also consider environmental education in the local communities as one of our top priorities, working with the people who live in the Amazon to help preserve and protect the region. GVI Amazon volunteers teach English and do environmental education projects with local schools, and our long-term interns work with schools and science/education projects throughout the Amazon region.

The GVI Charitable Trust raises funds to support rural education in the Amazon. With the money, we'll purchase environmental education resources to use in our local schools, and support education initiatives in the Amazon.

The Huaorani communities have been heavily affected and threatened by oil and its various influences in the Amazon for decades.  The communities we are visiting stood up and fought back (currently a 27 billion dollar lawsuit is ongoing between the Huaoranis and the oil companies!), and have chosen ecotourism over oil.  They set up an ecolodge (Huaorani Lodge) and have worked hard to bring education to their communities. A unique conservation-focused high school was opened by volunteers in the community, and GVI works with them through our internship program. 

 

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