"To fight against all those who are threatening our territory, our forests, our rivers, our culture, our identity, we can only do so through unity. Unity strengthens all types of resistance. That is why women's opinions are now highly considered in all meetings."
– Olivia Bisa Tirko

Olivia Bisa Tirko is the first woman President of the Chapra Nation in the Peruvian Amazon. She is a powerful leader in the Chapra's struggle against oil extraction. Olivia has also helped expand women's participation in decision-making, honoring their traditional roles as keepers of ancestral knowledge, life-givers, and leaders in the movement to protect the Amazon.

Amazon Watch supports Olivia's leadership and security in the long term, as she faces death threats for her powerful work. Despite these threats, Olivia and other women defenders aren't backing down. Your solidarity is critical. During International Women's Month, please stand with Amazonian women defenders for all that they do for the rainforest and our common future.

As a mother, leader, and Earth Defender, Olivia prioritizes expanding spaces for Indigenous women and youth in the struggle for their rights and rainforest protections. Her leadership for climate and gender justice uplifts us all.

I want to leave you with a reflection from Olivia: “Having a 99% intact territory with all natural resources is because of the resistance of great men, of great women, of great young people and children who have been practicing the [Chapra] culture, the worldview since they were very young – women practicing with their mothers the sowing, the harvest, the charms, the songs, the rituals. That makes us rich.”

Your donation today helps us continue accompanying leaders like Olivia and amplifying Indigenous women's solutions. Please give today – in solidarity with women defenders, and for the deep richness of life they protect in the rainforest and on Earth. Thank you!

Happy International Women's Month,

Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director

 
P.S. If you haven't yet voted for Amazon Watch in CREDO Mobile's March donation challenge, please take a minute to do it today. You vote, they donate, and it only takes a few clicks!