Impact Spotlight
Training for six Indigenous Wampís solar engineers
Amplification of Indigenous voices on the international stage
Peer to peer learning and collaboration between the Achuar and Wampís
About
Size of Wales (SoW) is a climate change charity based in Wales that collaborates with Indigenous and local communities to protect and restore tropical forests. Since 2016 SoW has partnered with the Wampís Nation to support livelihood development, land defense, and global advocacy work.
The Wampís Nation (population 15,000) is Indigenous to the Peruvian Amazon. Their territory (1.3 million hectares) is extremely biodiverse with 98% of the forest remaining intact, despite illegal and extractive logging and mining. In 2015, they declared themselves a nation, forming Peru’s first autonomous Indigenous government.
“The Wampís continue to protect their territory, their forests and rivers, guaranteeing the continuity of their way of life . The use of solar energy for river transportation is one of the key ways of achieving that goal.”
HF Partnership
The Wampís Nation has identified the need to transition to renewable energy sources as a key part of their Life Plan. In 2022, in collaboration with Size of Wales and the Honnold Foundation, Wampís Nation partnered with Kara Solar and the Achuar Nation to construct the first solar-powered boats (10 passenger) in Peru. Deployment of these canoes have facilitated commerce and exchange between Achuar and Wampís.
In 2023, the solar boats and charging infrastructure will be expanded to two additional Wampís communities, along with solar-powered infrastructure for food processing facilities to increase economic opportunity for each region. Additionally, the expanded project provides proof of concept for future exchange and connection between Indigenous communities across the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon.
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