Country and the people

I. Historical Background • Origins traced back to 9th century A. D. , from the Cumancaya Tradition • Western contact began in 17th century through Franciscan missionaries • Past 50 years saw missions and humanitarian groups starting projects and leaving them unfinished • Similar to the other indigenous groups of South America in terms of colonial oppression, marginalization and impoverishment by the various conquerors of their lands and resources II. Sustainability Efforts

Multi-sectoral (government, international organizations, private sector, non-government organizations/civil society) programs and endeavors to help sustain the cultural communities as well as the Amazon resources with which the indigenous people are fully dependent on. Sustainability measures include:

1. Community mobilization – to involve the indigenous people in the efforts of planning, developing and sustaining, ensuring that their voices are heard and ideas considered in the whole process

2. Community organization – to build within the community mechanisms (e. g. , institutional/organizational structure) to sustain efforts even beyond the external help they get; developing the capabilities of community leaders who will perpetuate the programs.

3. Provision of alternative livelihoods and appropriate technologies to address the need for income without heavily extracting from the natural resources References Village Earth, Shipibo Nation, Peruvian Amazon, retrieved 15 April 2009, http://www. villageearth. org/pages/Projects/Peru/index. php World Health Organization, 2005. Ecosystems and human well-being : health synthesis : a report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

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