Seeking urgent donations for flooding relief in Paoyhan

Over the past year, support from Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative has enabled significant progress for Farmacia Viva Shipibo. In the past year, the Farmacia Viva committee has improved access to and protection of the Farmacia Viva conservation area, acquired important tools and equipment, and supported community food security and wellbeing.

The Shipibo-Konibo Native Community of Paoyhan in Ucayali, Peru has flooded severely over the last couple weeks. Combined with the second wave of COVID-19 in the region, the community is now in a state of emergency.

Farmacia Viva received and distributed gifts for the children of Paoyhan.

In addition to providing food and sanitation supplies to each household in Paoyhan and Paococha, your generous support has provided medicines for the local health post and has supported the ongoing work of the Living Pharmacy (Farmacia Viva). Their work has been particularly important during the pandemic. With a lack of medical equipment and personnel in the community, and with the majority of residents affected by COVID-19, traditional use of medicinal plants has been important for treatment.

The Living Pharmacy committee and the leaders of Paoyhan and Paococha made this thank you video to all the generous contributors who helped purchase the first round of supplies in early June. Now, the second disbursement of funds has allowed the committee to purchase food and soap for 150 families as well as medical supplies for the village health post.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to this campaign so far! We are all grateful for your help in supporting Paoyhan in this time of crisis.

An update from the president of the Living Pharmacy committee in Paoyhan: Nearly every family in the village has at least one member sick with COVID-like symptoms.