3 stories of women fighters for the environment and communities in Peru
hace 8 year
Today, March 8, we commemorate International Women's Day. We have many fighters in Peru, women who despite adversity have had the courage to move forward and have managed to stand up for their communities, as well as empowering those who had no opportunities.
Meet three cases of Resilient Women:
- Ruth Buendía "Guardian of the Amazon":
Known as the "guardian of the Amazon," Ruth grew up in a community under attack by terrorism, illegal logging and the construction of a hydroelectric plant that threatened to flood more than 700 square kilometers of her Peruvian jungle.
In April 2014, her environmental struggle made her one of the six world personalities to receive the Goldman Prize, thanks to her leadership in the rejection of hydro-energy projects that were intended to be executed without prior consultation and that could have generated irreparable damage and displacement of the Asháninka population, previously hit by terrorism.
To speak of Ruth Buendía Mestoquiar is to speak of the reinvindication of the struggle of our native communities in defense of the environment and the right to consultation before initiating projects that are alien to their interests.
- Nélida Ayay "La Hija de la Laguna":
"Water is the blood of the earth, and without its blood the earth would have no life."
Nélida is one of the greatest representatives of the Cajamarca struggle for environmental territory. She is a warrior who has been able to face the constant threats and violations of the territory where she lives, not in vain she became the protagonist of Daughter of the Lagoon, a documentary that tells her story, which is also the story of peasant resistance in the Andes.
"The daughter of the lagoon" has had the courage to confront a company that put at risk the lagoon where she grew up in Cajamarca. She studied law, with the purpose of defending her fight for water with laws and not with stones and sticks.
- Karin Santa María / Pimalpaka:
Pimalpaka is a company created by Karin Santa Maria, which aims to create job opportunities for those who do not have them. This B Company designs, manufactures and exports handmade fashion and home accessories using natural fibers such as cotton, alpaca, wool and toquilla straw.
It trains groups of women to strengthen their skills in different rural areas of Peru, and then organizes and trains them to become formal, sustainable entrepreneurs.
What do these actions achieve? Sustainable income that generates an impact on their lives, their homes and their communities. This company generates a change in the lives of the women with whom it works together. Undertakings such as this one show us that change is possible.
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