Clearwater

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The Clearwater Project (2011 - 2021)

The Amazon Rainforest houses 20% of the Earth’s freshwater resources. Nevertheless, the oil industry has exploited the northeastern region of Ecuador for decades for oil extraction.

A land that has rightfully belonged to the indigenous people of the Amazon for thousands of years. Rivers, streams, and soil have been contaminated, polluted, and rendered infertile by the resulting activities. Saving An Angel supported the ClearWater project, and thus, the indigenous inhabitants and local farmers in their struggle for the cleanup and restoration of their land from October 2011 to the end of 2021.

ClearWater is an initiative that emerged through the collective efforts of communities residing in the Amazon.

Ecuador
Amazon

Ecuador
Amazon

The project aimed to provide sustainable clean water to over 2,000 families of indigenous people and farmers. These families were spread across more than 78 villages located in the devastated northeastern region of Ecuador due to oil extraction. The lack of available clean drinking water not only led to health disadvantages but also resulted in the loss of an irreplaceable cultural heritage, developmental issues in children, and economic impoverishment of the entire affected area. ClearWater’s work began in early October 2011 in Cofan Dureno.

A total of 1,164 rainwater harvesting systems were put into operation, benefiting over 6,000 people, including approximately half being children. These systems can be easily installed in homes of remote and hard-to-reach villages and have a lifespan of up to 50 years. Specially designed filters thus provide families, hospitals, and schools with access to clean water.

RECAP REPORT

Rea Garvey

In June 2011, I had the great fortune to travel for the first time to the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, where I had the privilege of meeting Donald Moncayo. Donald is a father, a son, and a husband. His mother had lost the battle to cancer, and he himself suffered from severe respiratory problems. Donald knew that sooner or later, his wife and daughter would also fall victim to the contaminated environment.

As we traveled from village to village together, I was confronted with a horrifying sight. It was only then that I realized the extent to which both the land and the people had been systematically poisoned. How oil and wastewater had tainted the rain and vegetation. How rivers no longer meandered as clear streams through the land but instead flowed as black, polluted sludge. How natural gas belched flames into the sky for forty years without respite. Flames that polluted the air that the people had to breathe.

It was a journey that touched my heart deeply. The sight of complete indifference to people and their health left me no choice but to join Donald and collectively fight. A fight for the indigenous people in this unique Amazon region. A fight for their lives, their human rights, and clean, pure water.

Even though the oil industry had long lost the legal battle, their financial resources seemed almost inexhaustible. The opposite could be said about the people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Yet we did not give up and committed ourselves for 10 years until every child and family had access to clean drinking water.

Through the ClearWater project, we achieved a significant reduction in waterborne diseases, improved standards in sanitation facilities, and a drastic enhancement of children’s health throughout the country. We built strong, trusting relationships with partner communities, enabling us to dream even bigger and support them in their vision for a healthy, vibrant future for their children, their culture, and their rainforest home.

God Bless,
Rea

Arthelps

Creative workshops were conducted in the Amazon with the organization ARTHELPS. Participants included people from the following four indigenous communities: A’I KOFAN, SIEKOPAI, SIONA, and WAORANI.

Honestly and without hesitation, they were able to unleash their creativity during the workshops, expressing the beauty of their world in various colors and shapes with focus and a connection to nature. The guideline was to represent ‘their world’ freely. Everything was allowed, without restrictions.

Ecuador
Amazon

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