Since she can remember, Gabriela Loaiza has been aware of the cultural diversity within her territory. She is the daughter of a Machiguenga mother and a father from Cusco. She knows the enormous efforts that a girl or boy of her origin must make from an early age to get ahead. The world speaks a language they do not. That is why it is important to build safe spaces for children that respects their indigenous culture, in her case the Machiguenga culture. This motivated Gabriela to become one of the 24 selected indigenous women to participate Conservation International’s first generation of the Amazon Fellowhship Program, where women from 7 Amazonian countries participate to pursue social environmental projects of their interest.
We talked with Gabriela about her project, her hope for the future of the next generations, and her experience this last year as a member of the fellowship program.
©Esmit Enriquez
Tell us about your project.
My project is called "Rescuing our cultural heritage" and it focuses on valuing the ancestral knowledge of the women from the Koribeni community, centered around bio-jewelry and medicinal plants.
I have organized workshops with children of the community to instill our ancestral Machiguenga values and culturarl practices that promote the respect for our environment and the good use of natural resources.
Why did you decide to focus your work with the children of the community?
My community is situated in the middle of several rural settlements. Children form different cultures go to the same schools, and over time, the Machiguenga culture has been lost due to teachers who only speak Spanish and Quechua. This has caused the children of our community to feel ashamed or embarrassed of showing their own culture.
We have witnessed the forest as our source of life. In the forest we find our pharmacy, we find our market. So, if we do not share this with our children, and our grandchildren, we are going to lose all the value that our forest has for us. And it is the wise women of the community - those older women who know all the stories, the myths and cultural practices in our community - who transmit this knowledge on to the younger ones.
¿What is the work like with the women of the community?
The forest is an ally for women. Most of the women in the community are in charge of the home and the crops, and this has made us more aware of all that the forest gives us.
With this project, we are promoting that older women and single mothers can earn income through the sale of handicrafts and medicinal plant derivatives. For example, seeds that are used for jewelry, and special fiber of some plants to make baskets, among others.
©Conservación Internacional / ECA MAENI
One year after starting your project, is there any aspect that you would like to highlight?
I am very excited about the commitment of the young women who are supporting me. When I was chief of the community, I was able to identify those motivated people, more willing to promote a positive change in the community and I invited two young women to participate in my project.
Even if it is only 2 or 3 people, I know that I am instilling some sort of positive influence on them, and I hope in the future to see them win awards or lead their own initiatives. That makes me very happy.
What motivated you to work for the well-being of your community?
Since I was 18 years old, I have participated in the assemblies of my community and I have never been silent. I have always questioned why certain things were being done, making sure that everything is transparent, focusing as well on ensuring that women also have a vote.
I emphasize this because when a woman gets married, it is the husband who becomes the holder of her vote before the community, and they always vote for male chiefs. I am working to change this.
It was not until 2015 that Koribeni had its first female president, and she proved everyone that a woman has everything it takes to lead with success a community.
And in 2020, you also took on the challenge of being the chief of the Koribeni community.
As a woman, I had the desire to be able to work, not only for my own benefit but for that of my people. I believe that a good leader should not only think about being a boss, but foresee a way to motivate others to follow in good example, reach a goal together, and that inspired me to become leader of my community.
How would you describe your experience in the Amazon Women Fellowship Program?
The fellowship program was very rewarding. At first, I could not believe that among so many proposals they chose mine. Peru is not small; I understand that there were several applicants, and I am very grateful to Conservation International for this experience as a fellow. I learned a lot about the program through the training provided by our mentor, who helped me to meet the objectives of my project. Meeting the Conservation International team that traveled from so far away to my community is something you don't always get to see.
I am very grateful and would encourage more women to apply for this program, which is real, and I felt that everyone involved was an ally in moving my project forward.
©Cesar David Martinez
In April you participated in the First Meeting of Indigenous Women Leaders in Quito. What impacted you most of this experience?
It was incredible how 24 women of different backgrounds, cultures and languages were able to share and weave solutions to our problems. This space made me realize that I am not alone, that there are many sisters from other communities with the same conviction to preserve our culture and environment.
Now that your fellowship is coming to an end, what plas do you have next?
I will be focusing on reactivating tourism in the community. We are working with the artisans and in the tourism association of the community we are already 16 members, all women. But I am sure that with time this association will grow stronger.
About the Program
The Amazon Women Fellowship Program seeks to support socio-environmental enterprises of indigenous women in the Amazon, to develop and strengthen their leadership with a scholarship program, mentoring, peer-to-peer exchange and the creation of an integrated network among native communities. The program is an initiative of Conservation International and is supported by the French Government.