These are the main communities with which we collaborate and work every day

It must be taken into account that up to 5 ethnic groups coexist in the Ecuadorian Amazon: Kichwa, Shuar, Wao, Cofán and Siekopai and they are located mostly in the provinces of Sucumbíos and Orellana and, to a lesser extent, in Pastaza and Napo.

We are going to focus, initially, on the communities with which we collaborate the most. Next we explain its history and its impact on the area.

Kichwa, the majority community

Indigenous populations such as the Kichwa, of the Amazon, have recognized the need to take measures to prevent the terrible effects of climate change, deforestation and impacts on species. To this end, a group belonging to the Kichwa community has implemented innovative and sustainable agroforestry practices in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

The Kichwa are an indigenous population of approximately 55,000 people who inhabit the Ecuadorian jungle, which extends from the Andean foothills to the Amazonian lowlands. They know the threats to their way of life and their territory, an area that covers more than one million hectares (2.5 million acres), won in 1992 after the Pastaza protest to demand rights to their lands.

These threats are the same that exist in other parts of the Amazon: forest fires, expansion of livestock farming, construction of roads, cutting and burning of forests to make way for monocultures such as palm oil, invasion of human settlements, illegal logging, mining and oil and gas extraction.

The Waoranis: self-styled Wao, which means "the people".

The organization that represents the Waorani Nationality of Ecuador (NAWE) is the Organization of the Huaorani Nationality of the Ecuadorian Amazon (ONHAE), formed in 1986, with Ministerial Agreement No. 100050, establishing its headquarters in Puyo, Pastaza.

This is the organizational body that represents them before the state and society.

Currently, the Waoranis occupy an area of 612,215 hectares, legalized by Allotment Order No. 90-1772, decreed by the government as an intangible zone, and part of the Yasuní National Park reserve.

It is made up of 3,500 people distributed in the following communities:

In Pastaza: Toñampare (the most populated), Tzapino, Tihueno, Quiwado-Quihuaro, Quenahueno, Daimutaro, Wamono, Tigüino, Shiripuno and Huahano.

In Napo: Gareno, Kakataro, Entaro, Keweiri-Ono and Tepapare.
In Orellana: Uiyero, Dicaro, Yarentaro, Ñoneno, Miwagono, Tobeta, Dicapare, Nenquipare, Yawepare and Apaika.

They are settled in three provinces:
• Orellana: Orellana canton, Dayuma parish; and Aguarico canton, Tiputini, Yasuní Sta. María de Huiririma parishes.
• Pastaza: Arajuno canton, Curaray parish.
• Napo: Tena canton, Chontapunta parish
The administrative center is Puyo, Capital of the Province of Pastaza.

The Shuar community, the best hunters in the area.

The Shuar are an indigenous people who live in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon. They are famous for their hunting skills and for their tradition of head reduction, known as tzantsa.​

The Shuar language belongs to the Jivaroan linguistic family and is spoken by more than 50,000 people in the region. The Shuar are known for their skill in war, both in the defense of their territories and in the offensive against external enemies.

Today, many Shuar live in communities organized around agriculture and hunting, although there are also some who work in mining and the logging industry.

The reduction of heads is an ancestral Shuar tradition and has great symbolism. When two Shuar tribes confront one another over territory or for other reasons, the winning chief takes the head of the losing chief and proceeds to reduce his head. The Shuar chief is in charge of making the tsantsa totally alone, in deep meditation and fasting. The members of the defeated tribe become part of the victorious tribe, without there being repudiation or discrimination.